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 »