BRAG. GOBA. RABGRAI. TRIRI. RAW. What the heck is this, alphabet soup? No, it's a very short list of some of the across-state bicycle tours that already have ride dates scheduled for 2007.

I spent some time vicariously bicycling across several states last night as I updated some of my listings at Across State Bicycle Tours. I read about bike tours that skirted mighty rivers, summited mountain passes and crossed deserts. Quite a few already have dates set and some are already taking registrations.

For instance, I learned that the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) is called "Bike Me to the Moon" this year, and that Oklahoma Freewheel ...   more »

(Update: Armstrong to ride Leadville 100 bike race next year; see inside)
"Yeah, I'm pretty much flunking at retirement. I didn't know how much I would miss my sport and all that it provided, both good and bad. From a physical standpoint, I miss the hard training. But I don't miss the racing."

-- Lance Armstrong responding to a question regarding his life after retiring from professional cycling. The 7-time Tour de France bicycle race champion ...   more »

As bicycle trade shows go, this has to be the shortest run in history.

Messe Friedrichshafen, the Germany-based owners of the Eurobike trade show, announced at the end of October that they would launch a show in Portland in September 2007. Here it is one month later, and they've already called off those plans.

Instead, the Eurobike folks are promoting a spring show to be held in tandem with the 2007 Sea Otter Classic ...   more »

Can you imagine riding your bicycle in the future along this corridor where these railroad tracks run today? I can.

This is a very short stretch of a 47-mile railroad right-of-way that runs north-south about two miles from my home in the growing communities just east of Seattle.

The current owner, the BNSF Railway, wants to sell the 100-foot right-of-way. A deal currently in the works calls for the Port of Seattle to buy it for $100 million to $180 million and turn it over to King County along with the funds to build a bike and hike trail on it. In return, the Port gets the King County-owned 625-acre airfield just south of Seattle.

If the land swap deal happens -- we'll probably know next year -- the old rail line could become the backbone for a network of existing bike trails. ...   more »

Where would you go to bike the world's most dangerous road?

You might have your own local candidates for the distinction, but on a global basis it's the Unduavi-Yolosa Highway in the mountains near La Paz, Bolivia.

That's not me saying so. The Inter-American Development Bank judged this the World's Most Dangerous Road in 1995 based on the number of deaths per mile.

And the designation doesn't mean bicyclists avoid it. In fact, at least two La Paz-based bike touring companies ...   more »

American cyclist Tyler Hamilton has clarified a statement attributed to him last week when he signed up for a one-year contract with the Tinkoff Credit Systems pro cycling team. He writes on his website:

"I would like to clarify up-front, that an unauthorized translation of the Tinkoff team's initial press release issued in Italian on Friday, the 24th, has misinterpreted a quote from me. Although we notified the responsible parties of their error, and it was initially corrected, the quote has since been republished incorrectly. Given this confusion, the Tinkoff team has released a statement in response to the miscommunication." ...   more »

A family's lawsuit stemming from the death of a bicycle rider in the 2004 RAGBRAI is scheduled to go to trial in October 2007.

Betty Jo Ullrich and her daughters are suing Crawford County due to negligence in the death of Kirk Ullrich, 49, who died after his bicycle tire hit a crack in the road pavement and he fell.

The accident happened on July 25, 2004 ...   more »

It's early summer Down Under, where Australia's version of RAGBRAI began Saturday with 3,500 bicyclists leaving Wangaratta for the 534-km (331-mile) bike ride to Melbourne.

The Great Victorian Bike Ride has been running every year since 1984 with as few as 1,900 bicyclists in 1985 to as many as 8,100 for the "Great Ocean Road" in 2004.

This year's bike ride leaves from Wangaratta ...   more »

The organizer of the annual Celebration of Life bicycle ride in Virginia Beach says he's cancelling the event next year because the city's streets are getting too congested for the 1,000-or so participants.

What's ironic is that Virginia Beach received an "honorable mention" on the list of Bicycle Friendly communities by the League of American Bicyclists. ...   more »

American bicycle racer Tyler Hamilton officially has inked a deal with the new Italy-based Tinkoff Credit Systems team, which is focused on a run at the 2007 Giro d'Italia bike race.

In making the annnouncement, the 35-year-old cyclist issued an interesting statement regarding "mistakes" that's been quoted a couple of different ways.

According to the Associated Press:

"Mistakes have been made and the price I had to pay ...   more »

A few sports columnists have resorted to "turkey" or "what I'm thankful for" lists this Thanksgiving, and some of those have named bicycle racer Floyd Landis.

Carl Seward mentions Tour de France winner Landis, a few places below Randy Moss, in his Turkeys of the Year at insidebayarea.com:

"Floyd Landis. Boy, did Landis ever take us for a ride. All those years suspecting Lance Armstrong of doping, and this dude gets caught in his chain ....   more »

Anyone who bicycles regularly this time of year should be thinking seriously about bike lights. James Sharp at the Lactic Acid Threshold blog admits to thinking a lot about lights. He writes:

"I love lights, in an unhealthy way. I think it is the combination of the fact that they enable me to ride more and the fact that they are packed with technological goodness -- two of my favorite things."

Sharp is a reviewer of GearReview.com, so he knows what to look for in light systems for bicycles. He likes the LEDs for the whiter light ...   more »

Mark your calendars. The Tour of Georgia bike race returns next spring, offering seven days of bicycle racing from April 16-22, 2007.

The bike race kicks off on a Monday in Peachtree City, located just down the road from Atlanta. After heading south to Macon, the 600-mile race continues its clockwise route toward the mountains in North Georgia, before finishing with a circuit race on Sunday in Atlanta.

Major American and European teams are expected to compete, as the race has a 2.HC rating ....   more »

These two bicycle paramedics were among those keeping an eye on the health and safety of more than 230,000 people who attended the Rogers Santa Claus Parade in Vancouver, British Columbia, last weekend.

The British Columbia Ambulance Service was one of the first emergency medical service in North America to send paramedics on bicycles to big events. These guys said they can get through the crowds to someone in need much faster than an ambulance. ...   more »

This might look like an old beater left outside too long, but it's actually a classic bicycle sold at auction in England recently.

It's a Sun Gents Bicycle, built in about 1920. It came with Reynolds tubing and the original paint, period tire pump, chain guard, La Grande saddle, tool pannier, stirrup front and rear brakes and a Lucas Silver King headlamp. ...   more »

While doping charges cloud his future in cycling, Floyd Landis visited the El Tour de Tucson bike ride that drew 8,125 participants this year.

Landis helped start the event on Saturday, watched from a scaffold, and talked with some of his supporters. He didn't participate in the 109-mile ride itself, although he has ridden in past years and actually won the race on a tandem in 1997.

The tandem's pilot that year was Dr. Arnie Baker, Landis' personal physician, who expanded on the cyclist's doping defenses ...   more »

Here's my recipe for a post-bike ride recovery drink that I frequently quaff in the summertime. I found out recently that it's just as refreshing in the cold weather as well.

It's easy to make because there's no measuring involved. At least I don't measure. I guess it's an art, not a science.

Into a blender, drop 6-10 large frozen strawberries. Add a banana, about a cup of yogurt (I prefer vanilla), and lots of orange juice. Blend. ...   more »

Keith Larsen and Rich Gardunia, left, are nearing the end of their cross-continental bicycle tour to raise money for cystic fibrosis, which has stricken several of Larsen's relatives.

The pair started from Dead Horse, Alaska, 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, with a third person, Sarah Wagstaff. Their destination is Key West, Florida.

A reporter for an eastern Texas newspaper recently interviewed the two, who said their favorites states so far were Oregon for the trees and waterfalls ...   more »

The University at Buffalo is urging people not to travel alone on bicycle paths in western New York after a recent homicide was linked to the so-called "bike path rapist."

The warning was issued after police linked the late September killing of Joan Diver, 45, to the unknown man responsible for nine sexual assaults, including two homicides, against women between 1986 and 1994. ...   more »

Lately, I've had some opportunities to ponder the pros and cons of cycling in winter weather.

1. The good -- Finally get a chance to pile on all those layers of polypro, fleece, windbreaker, gloves, booties, balaclava....

2. The bad -- Ten minutes down the road I'm sweating like a pig, making myself cold. ...   more »

Cranksgiving is a bike race, scavenger hunt and Thanksgiving food drive all wrapped up into one.

Essentially, the cyclists get a list of 10 grocery items that must be purchased at 10 different locations. The first one back wins, and all the food is distributed to charity.

Some Cranksgiving events also have raffles, etc. There are no entry fees, but organizers say the racers should expect to pay $10 to $20 on food.

The event is held in several cities across the US. Locations and information about a few of this year's events:   more »

Occasionally I'll run across a story that the Chinese are giving up bicycles as a prime source of transportation in favor of cars. Bikes lanes are converted to car lanes, and health problems, like obesity, are on the rise.

Apparently there are still plenty of people riding bicycles to work, but not as many as before. Oh well, such is the price of Westernization, or modernization, or industrialization.

Now there's a new trend in China. The People's Daily reports that people are bicycling for "exercise and entertainment." The news outlet interviewed some people who bicycled from their faraway hometowns to attend the Tour of Hainan, a six-day ...   more »

While we wait for the Lance Armstrong movie to begin shooting, the amazing story of Graeme Obree -- "The Flying Scotsman" -- comes to the screen.

Obree twice broke bicycling's world hour record, once in July 1993 and again in April 1994. But why do these achievements rate a movie? He battled more than wind resistance and pain to set the world records.

His success is all the more incredible because he always raced as an amateur, without major sponsorships. He also constantly tussled with authorities at the Union Cycliste Internationale who rejected his aerodynamic riding positions and equipment, once informing him of rule changes ...   more »

American cyclist Tyler Hamilton confirms that he's signed with a cycling team for 2007, but won't say who it is.

The newly minted Euro cycling team Tinkoff Credit Systems earlier had made overtures to Hamilton. CyclingNews makes the possible connection, but Eurosport flat out reports it as a done deal. ...   more »

(Updated) The latest news of the weird concerning the doping case against American cyclist Floyd Landis is that someone has hacked into the French lab's servers and is sending bogus e-mails.

French police are investigating the virtual break-in after fake e-mails from the Chatenay-Malabry lab near Paris were sent to other anti-doping groups, such as WADA, the IOC, UCI, etc. The e-mails questioned the lab's responsibility in the Landis doping case and attached internal documents.

Although this is probably an outside job, it gives credence to the speculation that the lab isn't run as tightly as it should be. ...   more »

Some roads "were more like huge stretches of human-sized potholes or a collection of head-sized rocks. Sometimes I thought local transport officials built these “roads” just to play a cruel joke and fool people into believing there was actually a legitimate way to get from one place to another."

-- Patrick Cook-Deegan telling about his 2,800-miles bicycle tour across Southeast Asia this summer to raise funds for a school in Laos. ...   more »

Towns in Florida and Arkansas are looking forward to seeing tourism dollars rolling into their communities on bicycles.

The small town of Lake Helen, located southwest of Daytona Beach, hopes to become the state's biking mecca through the newly opened Florida Discovery Bicycle Center.

The center is the first in the state to combine adult bicycle touring and safety training. It's a joint effort by the Florida Bicycle Association, the town of Lake Helen, and the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor ...   more »

Wanted: Warehouse and repair space for bicycle giveaway programs.

It seems that once a person or a group decides to repair and give away used bicycles, the biggest challenge is to find some free or low-cost real estate to house the operations.

Bikes for the World, a Washington, D.C. group that collects unwanted bicycles and ships them to developing countries, is seeking about 2,000 square feet of warehouse space.

Members of the House and Senate bike caucuses fared very well in this week's mid-term elections, and members are slated for top committee appointments.

The changes could bode well for bicycling-related legislation, such as the Bicycle Commuter Act.  The act would enable employers to qualify for a tax deduction by paying employees to bicycle to work.

The League of American Bicyclists reports that of the 157 House bike caucus members, 138 were reelected ...   more »

If you want to mingle with the elite pro cyclists, you might get a chance if you volunteer for the 2007 Amgen Tour of California, which runs Feb. 18 - 25.

The Union Cycliste Internationale-sanctioned bike race covers some 700 miles of California highway and visits 12 host cities during its run. Volunteers are needed along the course and at the arriving and departing cities.

Among the positions sought are ...   more »

While it might seem funny that there are adults who don't know how to ride a bike, apparently there are people who are afraid to ride because of some childhood trauma. They're afraid, but they still want to try it.

The Bicycle Riding School in Somerville, Massachusetts, is the only place I've heard of that teaches adults how to get over their fear of falling off their bikes. Nearly 2,000 people have learned to ride bikes there in the past 20 years.

There are many bicycling clinics that teach adults how to safely ride in traffic or improve their skills in road racing or mountain biking. What the Bicycle Riding School does is teach adults how to get over their phobia. ...   more »

If you've ever Googled for something related to bicycles or bike maintenance, you've probably landed at SheldonBrown.org.

Under the banner of Harris Cyclery, Sheldon has posted hundreds of articles relating to different brands of bikes, their components, and how to fix those components. He also posts on some other interests, which include arts, books, jazz and his family.

Lately, he's also been writing posts about his health, which sadly is deteriorating. The bicycle guru can no longer ride a bicycle and began riding a recumbent trike in September. ...   more »

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy website has some cool suggestions from its staff on which rail-trails have the best fall color.

Up here in the Pacific Northwest, the big-leaf maples are blazing right now, although recent rains have knocked down a lot of leaves. Here's a scene along the Lake Washington bicycle path earlier this week.

Not all of the trails on rails-to-trails list are accessible to bicycles. And I'm sure some of their suggestions from the northern tier have played out (the piece has been up for a month; unfortunately I just noticed it this week).

The website links to fall foliage forecasts in all the states mentioned. Here are some bike trails that might still be colorful ...   more »

A murder on a bike path in Georgia and an assault and separate gun-pointing incidents on an Indiana bicycle trail show the need for cyclists to consider personal safety when out for a ride.

I don't want to be an alarmist about this. Bike trails aren't dangerous places. I've stumbled across these news stories in the past couple of months, and they may represent the only incidents of violence across the thousands of miles of bike trails used by millions of people during that time period.

Even so, it's probably worth repeating some words of caution.

Update: The University at Buffalo issued a warning Nov. 17, 2006, that people shouldn't travel alone on the Ellicott Creek bike path, or pathways in western New York.

Italian cyclist Ivan Basso, winner of the 2006 Giro d'Italia, is joining the Discovery Channel pro cycling team.

Team director Johan Bruyneel announced Wednesday that Basso had signed a two-season contract with Tailwind Sports, which owns the team sponsored by Discovery.

Consider this with the earlier signing of American Levi Leipheimer and you can see that Discovery is building quite a formidable team for next season.

Basso, 28, who has been riding with Team CSC since 2003, had hoped to win both the Giro and the Tour de France in 2006. But media reports that linked him to a Spanish doping probe dubbed Operacion Puerto prompted officials ...   more »

Even though the 2006 mid-term elections are on the books, it's not too late to begin some big-time political mudslinging.

Kent Peterson at Kent's Bike Blog has found that those campaign signs make very durable bike fenders. Many signs, at least here in the rainy northwest, are made of coroplast, a corrogated plastic material.

Wait a couple of days to see which rude candidates haven't cleaned up their mess and go out and grab a couple of their signs. ...   more »

So I'm taking a photo of some political signs today, and I see this bike commuter emerge out of the rain.

He's got it going with his light and fenders and raingear, although it looks like he's wearing his work-a-day pants.

No matter. It's wet but not that cold. I don't know what the weather has been like around you, but here in the Pacific Northwest it has been raining. A lot.

Right now we're the beneficiaries of what's called the Pineapple Express. I never heard of it ...   more »

(Information updated for 2007)

Snow, rain and cold -- or a combination of all three -- conspire to bring an end to the recreational bicycling event season across most of the US by November. Not so in Arizona, however.

El Tour de Tucson, scheduled on Saturday, Nov. 17, is the state's biggest one-day bike ride, drawing thousands of cyclists who want to get in just one more century before the end of the year. Because it's the 25th anniversary, up to 10,000 cyclists are expected.

The bike ride features routes of 109, 80, 66 and 35 miles this year, as well as a fun ride for kids.

Actually, this year's El Tour serves two purposes. In addition to the Saturday perimeter ride, El Tour has been named the site of The League of American Bicyclists National Bike Rally for 2007 ....   more »

Now that Lance Armstrong sees how painful marathons can be after Sunday's New York event, maybe he'll consider making a comeback to cycling as the first-ever UCI-licensed bicycle race in his hometown of Austin.

Dubbed the Austin International, the bicycle race next June 17 will feature a pro men’s and women’s race and will be evaluated as a potential Women’s World Cup event for 2008.

Further, the race around the Texas Hill Country has been included in the newly created USA Cycling Professional Tour. The series of 15 races (five of them stage races) in 11 states comprises 40 days of pro cycling in the US in 2007 ...   more »

Congratulations, Sergio Pinzon of New Jersey. You finished just ahead of the winningest-ever Tour de France bicycle racer in his inaugural attempt at a 26.2-mile footrace.

Lance Armstrong met his goal of achieving an under 3-hour marathon on Sunday at the ING New York City Marathon by finishing in 2 hours, 59 minutes and 36 seconds. For those who time themselves at shorter distances, that's a 6:51 per mile average.

You can chalk it up as another case of  Armstrong setting a high-end goal for himself and achieving it.

Armstrong ran with 38,000 other runners in the annual race through the streets of New York City. The 35-year-old Texan finished in 856th place (later official results placed him in 869th). He told ...   more »

"Don't be afraid to ask if you can pitch your tent on someone's private land. Asking for someone's hospitality is something no person should be shy about; besides, it is a good way to meet new people."

Canadians Benoit Cote and Genevieve Fortin giving some tips about bicycle travel. ...   more »

Before the autumn monsoon hit, I had the opportunity last week to bicycle the Cedar River Trail that runs east from Renton, Washington.

It's a level, low-traffic trail that runs for 16 miles along an old railroad line that used to carry coal out of the Cascade Mountains to consumers in the Seattle area. I always try to incorporate parts of it on any bike rides I take in that area.

Over much of its length, the trail runs within sight of the Cedar River, which rushes out of springs and lakes in the Cascades. During the fall, the river is a highway for bright red sockeye salmon ...   more »

Steve's Cycling Store is closed, wiped off the Internet like road kill scraped up with a shovel.

Don't expect the online serial scammer ("Watch Out for Phony Bicycle Scams," Oct. 31) to stay closed for long, however. It will surely reappear under a new name offering unbelieveable deals on high-end bicycles.

When you buy bicycles or equipment online, here are some suggestions on how to avoid becoming a victim: ...   more »

Amgen is sponsoring three Breakaway from Cancer bicycle rides, beginning in November, for the runup to the 2nd annual Tour of California.

The first ride is scheduled in just a few days on Nov. 12 in Bethesda, Maryland. Other charity bike rides are scheduled on Dec. 3 in San Francisco and Feb. 11 in Thousand Oaks, California.

The rides aren't gut busters ...   more »

Lance Armstrong takes to the streets of New York City on Sunday for the ING New York City Marathon.

I don't know if the 7-time Tour de France bike race winner chose to do this on a whim, or if it was sparked by a deal with his shoe sponsors. But outside of the world of marathon runners, he's probably the best known person in the field of 37,000.

That's why MediaZone is adding a special "LanceCam" to its live online coverage ...   more »

The owners of the Germany's largest bike industry trade show -- Eurobike -- are planning to bring a similar show to the Pacific Northwest next September.

The announcement that Messe Friedrichshafen is launching the show in Portland is causing fear and loathing in Las Vegas, home for the annual Interbike International Bicycle Expo, which has been the nation's largest industry bike show.

While welcoming the competition, Interbike organizers VNU Expositions said Wednesday in a press release:

"We are also greatly concerned about the dividing effect Eurobike’s announcement may have on the industry ...   more »

When I used to take my bicycle on transcontinental flights every summer, the biggest hassle was finding a bicycle box big enough to hold my 59cm road bike frame.

Bike shops gladly parted with shipping boxes they'd recently emptied, but those boxes usually held smaller-framed mountain bikes. I eventually learned to overlap and tape together two chopped up boxes to hold my bike.

Now some enterprising individuals are selling specially designed cardboard boxes to ship bikes. They feature low prices and little bike disassembly. Here are a few ...   more »