BBC Radio took a poll recently on what listeners thought  was the best invention since 1800.

The bicycle came in at #1 in the BBC poll with 59% of the vote. It was chosen for being an ecologically sound means of transportation, its simple design, and its widespread use. ...   more »

When I set out on my cross-country bicycle tour 21 years ago, the one thing I didn't expect was to meet a host of unforgettable people along the way.

There was Lazy Louie in Missouri, the preacher in Elk Garden, Virginia, and a Navajo Code Talker in Arizona. But the first, and most memorable, was June "The Cookie Lady" Curry. ...   more »

Schwinn, Murray, Huffy ... the names of bicycle manufacturers that have closed factories in the US and moved overseas goes on and on.

Even Wisconsin-based Trek makes about 80% of its bicycles abroad, mainly in Asia. In all, only 1% of the bicycles sold in the US are made here. ...   more »

Bicycle tourists spend part their time riding on the edge. I’m not just talking about the edge of the road, but the edge of their limits for physical and mental stress. Veer over the edge, and there can be a crash. End of tour.

That’s especially true for the so-called self-contained cycling tourists. No sag wagons. No mechanics. No large group for support. And, in the “old days,” no cell phones. ...   more »

Check out the standings in the Vuelta a Espana, and you'll find three US cyclists competing -- Tom Danielson (Discovery), Chris Horner and Freddie Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) -- not just Danielson and Horner like I reported Friday.

Thanks to Frank Steele at Tour de France blog 2006 for pointing out that error. The official Vuelta a Espana website still lists Mario Aerts and Christophe Brandt on the Davitamon roster, but they've been replaced by Rodriguez and Pieter Mertens ...   more »

(Update: "It's 3, not 2, US cyclists in the 2006 Vuelta")
The Vuelta a Espana begins Saturday with a 4 1/2-mile team time trial around the city of Malaga. The final three-week European classic bike race of the year ends September 17 in Madrid.

The race features 21 teams and 209 cyclists, including just two Americans. Chris Horner is riding for Davitamon Lotto, and Tom Danielson competes as the team leader for the Discovery Channel team.

Why so few Americans ...   more »

Border Patrol agents call it el Tour de Los Estados Unidos. The winners of this Tour gain illegal entry into the US from Mexico on bicycles they use to cross the border.

The rundown bikes cost $20 to $25 each. They run the gamut from mountain bikes to Chinese models with wing handlebars. The reflectors are removed; one bike was painted camouflage green, while others are spray painted black.

The immigrants ride the bikes at night on hiking trails or unused desert roads. The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, right, is a favorite route.

"Usually you hear what sounds like off-road truck tires coming toward you down the road 'cuz there's so many of them" ...   more »

Did it seem that you read more about bicycling deaths last year? That's because you did.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported this week that 784 "pedalcyclists" died in traffic accidents in 2005; that's an increase of 57 deaths over 2004.

While overall highway fatalities rose 1.4% in 2005 ...   more »

Police across Indiana are mourning two cyclists killed on a cross-state bicycle charity ride to raise money for fallen comrades.

State Police Lt. Gary Dudley, 52, left, and former Lake County Police Chief Gary Martin, 63, right, were killed in the collision as they rode their bicycles on Tuesday. A third cyclist, retired Indianapolis Police Officer Spencer Moore, was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. ...   more »

The Tour of Benelux ended on Wednesday in a finish more reminiscent of a roller derby match. Stefan Schumacher swung into the path of George Hincapie about 60 yards from the finish line, nicking Hincapie's front wheel and sending him crashing to the ground.

Awarded a time bonus, Schumacher made up his three-second deficit and beat Hincapie by one second in the Tour of Benelux, an eight-day stage race through Belgium and the Netherlands. ...   more »

Principals in a Kansas school district are prohibiting children up to third grade from riding their bicycles or scooters to school. That might not sit too well in some Oregon school districts, which encourage children to walk and ride to school.

The Lawrence school district enacted the ban last spring after a 6-year-old kindergartner was struck and killed by a minivan as he rode his scooter to school. Police said a shrub at the intersection obscured the motorist's view. ....   more »

American George Hincapie held onto his overall lead in the Tour of Benelux on Monday, while Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen won the sprint stage from Hasselt to Balen.

A Discovery Channel cyclist, Hincapie took the overall leader's claret jersey with a time trial win on Sunday. ...   more »

You want pictures of touring bikes? Fully Loaded Touring Bikes has pictures of touring bikes --  nearly 100 of them.

Ron W's "tribute to the fully loaded touring bicycle" gallery shows the many makes and styles of touring bicycles out on the road and the different ways their owners load them up. ...   more »

With the ongoing controversies about drugs, drug labs and drug-enforcement czars, it's easy to forget that most cyclists are still cranking away out there on the blacktop.

One of those is American cyclist George Hincapie, who has taken the lead of the 8-day Tour of Benelux in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Discovery Channel cyclist did it by winning the 10-mile Stage 4 time trial on Sunday. ...   more »

I'm testing out my newly acquired Yakima trailer the other day, and a guy on a singlespeed comes up alongside and shouts, "Nice rig!"

It didn't occur to me then, but I realized later that I've stepped up from riding a bike to piloting a rig.

I'm planning (probably not too carefully) a few days off for a bike tour in a couple of weeks, and my LeMond Tourmalet isn't really designed for carrying much gear. ...   more »