A few days ago I mentioned that the Seattle Burke-Gilman Trail had been named among the West's Top 10 City Bike Rides by Sunset Magazine. What are the other 9, you ask?
Leading the list is the Paseo Del Bosque Trail, left, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 16-mile bike path, which runs along the Rio Grande, has no street crossings along its entire length. It also has no water or restrooms. The flat trail passes beneath the busy highways and is a good place to see coyote, road runners and migrating waterfowl. ... more»
Pretty bicycles. Fast bicycles. Utilitarian bicycles. Comfort bicycles. Bicycle professionals visiting the Interbike International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas this week shot lots of pictures of lots of bicycles.
I've saved a few off of flickr.com and posted them here with descriptions. There are hundreds more at flickr.com under the tag "Interbike 2006." ... more»
"I've investigated 50 bike accidents during the last 18 months and more than half of them were left-turn situations."
-- Seattle attorney John Duggan, who represents bicyclists in traffic cases.
He's quoted in a story about Susanne Scaringi, a West Seattle cyclist who was killed when she collided with a van that had made a left turn in front of her. Duggan said vehicles making left turns seem to be a common reason for collisions involving bicyclists. Critical Mass cyclists are expected to visit the intersection Friday night.... more»
The Interbike International Bicycle Expo begins its final day Friday, and bloggers are filing fast and furious. Here are some of the highlights I've seen in the blogosphere.
Bike shop owners should print out and post in their shops the blog entry from Alan Snel -- Bike Stories on "Treat Your Customers Right." Alan attended a seminar on bicycle retail trends and the speaker offered some tips ... more»
Cervelo Cycles has announced the recall of about 650 R2.5 model carbon fiber bicycles and bicycle frames because the frames can loosen or separate.
Distributed by Cervelo Cycles of Toronto, Canada, the frames were made in Taiwan and include only frames made in 2005 and carrying serial numbers higher than R251700. ... more»
A recent issue of Sunset Magazine lists the Burke-Gilman Trail that runs through the Seattle area as one of the Top 10 City Bike Rides in the western United States.
Kudos to the 30-year-old urban bicycle trail. And shame on the City of Lake Forest Park for suggesting an ordinance that, in effect, would make it impractical to improve the narrow section of trail that runs through that city ... more»
No, this isn't a photo of the latest drivetrain system on display at the Interbike International Bike Show. It's simply a picture of some badly needed new components for my worn out LeMond Tourmalet.
A slipping chain and a near-ballbusting experience -- in addition to a tell-tale grinding from the bottom bracket -- convinced me it was time to make the replacements after my bike tour of the Olympic Peninsula last month. ... more»
Tim Jackson's excellent blog at Masiguy received a well-deserved mention in a New York Times article on Wednesday about bloggers who write -- sometimes critically -- about their business.
Jackson is brand manager for Masi Bicycles. He not only writes about his company's products, but other issues in cycling, such as doping.
It made me wonder, what are Jackson and his brethren blogging about from the Interbike International Bike Expo in Las Vegas this week? more»
I think we were on a bicycle tour to Montreal when my friend Bruce had the idea of attaching sails to our bikes to make them go faster. Always the practical one, I chalked it up as another of his hare-brained schemes, like his vacuum-cleaner shoes.
All I can say now is Bruce was ahead of his time.
A retired attorney has developed a sail system that attaches to a trike and propels it along the highway. The rig is called the Pterosail ... more»
One thing I discovered when I set off on my bicycle tour of the Olympic Peninsula was that I needed to learn more about lightweight bicycle touring.
On that bike tour last month I carried a couple of books, food in cans, a two-person tent (on a solo ride?), extra fuel bottles, yada yada. There were clothes I did not even wear. Just look at that mess of stuff spread out across the picnic table on the first night. I had added 55 pounds to my bicycle touring experience before throwing in a couple of last-minute odds and ends.
The Adventure Cycling Association has come to the rescue of bike touring hogs like me. ... more»
It's obvious that the press has swooped into Bootleg Canyon like so many vultures to ride the bikes and test accessories set out in the desert by 130 exhibitors at the two-day Outdoor Demo for Interbike.
The League of American Bicyclists has added eight more communities to its list of Bicycle Friendly Communities, expanding the number of honored cities to 58.
Leading the list of cities added this year is Jackson, Wyoming, with a silver designation. Others, judged bronze, are Carmel, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Roswell, Georgia; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Sacramento, San Jose, and South Lake Tahoe, California. ... more»
The last North American appearance of the 2006 Bicycle Film Festival rolls through San Francisco this Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 28-30.
Featured is the documentary B.I.K.E., about New York City's Black Label Bicycle Club. There also are films about the history of BMX racing, the life and death of Tour de France cyclist Tom Simpson, and a 500-mile bike tour across Europe to join protests against the World Bank ... more»
Out for a Sunday bike ride, Andrew Heitner had pasued on a Miami drawbridge when it unexpectedly started to open.
Heitner grabbed the railing and started yelling for help. As the span reached it full upright position, Heitner had a decision to make -- his body or his bike. He told a Miami TV station: more»
Connecticut state senate candidate Paul Doyle and more than two dozen supporters hit the campaign trail with a 33-mile bike tour last weekend.
A proponent of frequent exercise, Doyle's choice of a bicycle to get out his message was a good idea since World Carfree Day fell on Friday this year. ... more»
You'll be hearing a lot about new bikes and gear -- and booth babes -- as the Interbike International Bike Expo makes its annual five-day run in Las Vegas this week.
In fact, as you're reading this Monday morning, hordes of big-time bike buyers and journalists are heading out to Bootleg Canyon near Boulder City, Nevada, for two days of hands-on bike testing on trails and the open road. ... more»
Cyclist Floyd Landis received word this week from the US Anti-Doping Agency that he's been formally charged with using performance-enhancing drugs during the Tour de France bicycle race.
The next step, a hearing before a three-person arbitration panel, could occur by January. The 30-year-old American cyclist has said he wants that hearing to be open to the public.
If Landis fails to convince the arbiters that the tests carried out by the French lab were flawed, the whole thing will end up in the lap of the Court of Arbitration of Sport. That's the last stop before Landis would be suspended from professional cycling for two years and lose his Tour de France title. He's already ... more»
How's this for a way to finish a three-day bike tour in mid-September?
Snow greeted the 435 cyclists on the final day of the 109-mile Mickelson Trail Trek last weekend, reminding them that the Black Hills of South Dakota can offer blustery weather while the rest of us are enjoying late summer temperatures.
This was the 9th year for the bicycle tour that uses the 114-mile George S. Mickelson Trail that runs between Edgemont and Deadwood in southwestern South Dakota. ... more»
... on your torso, on your shades, in your portfolio, etc....
The branding of Lance Armstrong is heading into your home. The kitchen to be exact.
Housewares manufacturer Chantal, in cooperation with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, is introducing a line of products in yellow stamped with the LiveStrong emblem. The Chantal products include tea kettles, tea pots, coffee and latte mugs, large and small serving plates, and more. ... more»
A county prosecutor in Indiana says there's no basis to file charges against a truck driver involved in a collision that killed two policemen on a charity bicycle ride in August.
Indiana State Police Lt. Gary Dudley, 52, and former Lake County Police Chief Gary Martin, 63, were killed when a truck rear-ended a support van for the bike ride and shoved it into a group of cyclists. ... more»
This bunch of bicycles caught my eye at the Port Townsend Marina last month while I was on my bike tour of the Olympic Peninsula. The sailors who depend on the wind to propel their sailboats rely on their own muscle-power to get themselves around town. No fossil fuels involved.
Two teen-agers died in separate MS 150 Bike Tour fund-raisers last weekend in collisions with motor vehicles.
Charlie Vogann, 15, died on the Oklahoma chapter bike tour, and Rachel Giblin, 15, was killed in an accident during the Mid-Atlantic chapter's Breakaway to the Beach bike ride in South Carolina. News reports say one accident occurred on a busy US highway, while the other happened when a volunteer waved cyclists through an intersection. ... more»
Hood Canal Bridge. Dungeness River Bridge. Johnson Creek and Morse Creek trestles.
When I biked over to the Olympic Peninsula a few weeks ago for a bicycle-camping trip, it wasn't my intention to recreate a romantic drama like Clint Eastwood's "Bridges of Madison County."
There's nothing particularly romantic about a sweaty, dusty bicyclist with yesterday's laundry -- chamois-side up -- fastened to his bike trailer with bungee cords to dry.
But I did stop to take a few pictures of the bridges I crossed along the way. ... more»
Spain's Grand Tour bike race that started 2 1/2 weeks ago with 189 cyclists competing has boiled down to a battle between two cyclists -- Alejandro Valverde of Spain and Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan.
Vinokourov tried to nail his overall Vuelta a Espana victory Thursday by crushing Valverde on steep slopes of the Pandera, gaining -- with time bonuses -- 44 seconds over his rival by the finish. This in spite of Valverde's pre-race pledge to attack and win on the mountain. ... more»
Seventy-year-old Sean Sweeney had a unique way of training for his latest bicycle tour from Montana to Alaska -- he hauled sand.
The Adventure Cycling Association bike tour was his fourth long-distance tour since he bicycled cross country in 2002. To prepare for this 3,330-mile trek, he carried 50 pounds of sand in a BOB trailer up and down the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail in Maryland. ... more»
The Spring City Cycling Club of Huntsville, Alabama, is hosting this Saturday the 22nd running of a century bike ride with one of the most alluring names.
After cyclists finish one of the bike rides of 25, 50, 65, 90, or 107 miles in the "All You Can Eat", they're treated to showers and a carbohydrate-rich Italian meal followed by ice cream sandwiches. ... more»
That crazy Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov rode into the leader's gold jersey at the Vuelta bike race on Wednesday as American Tom Danielson won the 102-mile stage.
Vinokourov attacked race leader Alejandro Valverde on the climb up Alto de Monachil. The Spanish rider finally caught up to Vinokourov on the descent, but Vino accelerated again.
While Valverde couldn't keep up, Vinokourov rode ahead ... more»
The Big Apple has announced big plans for a bicycle network that encompasses the addition of 200 miles of new on-street bicycle lanes, routes and pathways in the next three years.
The idea is to improve the health and safety of New Yorkers. The announcement, made by the city's directors of transportation, health, parks and police, cites the deaths of 225 cyclists on city streets in the past decade, as well as chronic health problems of the city's denizens. ... more»
While the big headlines in bicycle racing lately all have dealt with doping, a group of cyclists are beginning the third and final week of the Spanish soap opera entitled the Vuelta a Espana.
The overall leader of the race is Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde. We last heard from him when he clipped the back wheel of a teammate in the Tour de France, broke his collarbone and dropped out. ... more»
Former US Postal Service cyclist Frankie Andreu tells the New York Times in Tuesday's editions that he took the blood-boosting drug EPO in 1999.
You know Andreu. He's the former American cyclist and current OLN commentator who interviews racers before and after stages of the Tour de France. He and his wife, Betsy, testified earlier this year that they overheard former teammate Lance Armstrong tell his cancer doctors in 1996 that he used EPO and other performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong has vociferously denied that charge. ... more»
It's a smaller company that Burley Design workers returned to Monday morning after the Eugene, Oregon-based trailer and bike maker was purchased by a local businessman last week.
One of the first moves was to lay off all 104 employees Friday; 65 return to work Monday morning and the other positions were eliminated. ... more»
At least in the UK, motorists pass more closely to bicycle riders who wear helmets than they do cyclists who ride without a helmet.
The study by traffic psychologist Ian Walker at the University of Bath found that the average motorist gets 3 inches closer to helmeted cyclists when passing; motorists also pass male cyclists closer than female cyclists. ... more»
Floyd Landis will launch his defense against doping charges next week when his attorney submits materials to a US Anti-Doping Agency review board that there's insufficient evidence to proceed against this year's Tour de France winner.
In a press release posted at FloydLandis.com, attorney Howard Jacobs says he and a team of scientific experts found "inconsistencies in the testing protocol and methodology" after reviewing 370 pages of documents provided by the French lab. ... more»
See Greg ride. America's first Tour de France winner Greg LeMond is cycling in this year's Dam2Dam Thumbs Up! Bike Tour, scheduled to begin Sept. 30 in Wenatchee, Washington.
The bicycle tour, featuring 25-, 50-, or 100-mile routes follows the Columbia River between Rocky Reach Dam and Wells Dam to the north. ... more»
A long-simmering dispute between Moses Mathis, who has given away thousands of bikes to kids, and the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee has boiled over.
The King committee has sold a warehouse that Mathis leased for $1 to an Atlanta-based company that builds affordable housing for college students. Mathis has 90 days to vacate. ... more»
You might say I don't get out much, but I saw some bicycle signs that were new to me during my bicycle tour of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula last week.
The one posted above -- "Winter Storm Trail Bypass" -- directs travellers to an alternative route on the Olympic Discovery Trail near Port Angeles. Apparently winter storms roaring down the Strait of Juan de Fuca can make this upper gravel path dangerous. ... more»
Five ascents up Paris Mountain near Greenville, South Carolina, rendered, splintered and obliterated the peloton at the US Cycling Professional Championships on Sunday. It's where hometown boy George Hincapie established his winning form.
What is Paris Mountain and where can you make the climb?
I've posted a map below that shows the Paris Mountain portion of the ride. It's a ridge about 4 miles north of Greenville. The Paris Mountain State Park is criss-crossed with hiking and biking paths running throughout its old-growth hardwood forest. Mountain bikers like the Old Firetower Bicycle Trail. ... more»
You'll probably see news reports about the Tour de Force bicycle ride from New York City to Washington DC sometime over the weekend.
Beginning Friday, about 100 police officers from around the US will hop on their bicycles at Ground Zero in New York City and begin a 265-mile bike ride down the East Coast to the Pentagon in Washington DC. ... more»
Jane Tomlinson wants people to know that even someone with terminal cancer can live a full life. That idea brought her to the US to ride her bicycle cross-country.
Since doctors diagnosed the 42-year-old mother with metabolic breast cancer six years ago and gave her six months to live, she's been competing in marathons and triathlons, sometimes while undergoing chemotherapy. ... more»
I attached my gear-loaded trailer and front panniers to the bicycle last week and headed down the driveway for the Olympic Peninsula. As you can see from this first-night self-portrait at Chimacum about 10 hours later, it was going to be a good trip.
It had been quite a few years since the last time I loaded up the bike for a self-supported tour, and this trip reminded me about some things I had learned from earlier trips: ... more»
To me, one of the coolest things to come out of the USA Cycling Pro Championships this weekend in Greenville, South Carolina, is seeing Saul Raisin back on the bicycle again.
The 23-year-old Dalton, Georgia, cyclist led the Palmetto Peloton Project charity ride on Saturday, nearly five months after he was seriously injured in a racing crash. ... more»
Cycling over familiar ground -- like five trips over 1,872-foot Paris Mountain -- may have helped George Hincapie on Sunday.
The Greenville, South Carolina, resident won the road race title at the USA Cycling Professional Championships in his hometown, beating future teammate Levi Leipheimer in the 121-mile bicycle race by 16 seconds. ... more»
Writing this blog for the past 18 months or so, I've run across a few quotes regarding bicycling. I've collected them in the "Bicycle Quotes" folder. While I'm away for a short bicycle tour, I've compiled some of my favorites:
"You reach the top of a mountain pass … it’s real … it does something to you. Humping up a steep 1,000-foot elevation with 40 pounds of gear, it’s hard. You’ve accomplished something. And there’s still all this country there before you.” ... more»
A Japanese company, Koko Bicycles, makes this commuting bike with a front basket and a small compartment on the top tube to carry a small animal, like a dog.
Aren't dogs supposed to chase bikes? What if a dog chases this bike, then sees a dog getting a ride? Won't that just confuse him? ... more»
A few days ago I mentioned that the Seattle Burke-Gilman Trail had been named among the West's Top 10 City Bike Rides by Sunset Magazine. What are the other 9, you ask?
Pretty bicycles. Fast bicycles. Utilitarian bicycles. Comfort bicycles. Bicycle professionals visiting the Interbike International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas this week shot lots of pictures of lots of bicycles.
The Interbike International Bicycle Expo begins its final day Friday, and bloggers are filing fast and furious. Here are some of the highlights I've seen in the blogosphere.
A recent issue of Sunset Magazine lists the Burke-Gilman Trail that runs through the Seattle area as one of the Top 10 City Bike Rides in the western United States.
No, this isn't a photo of the latest drivetrain system on display at the Interbike International Bike Show. It's simply a picture of some badly needed new components for my worn out LeMond Tourmalet.
I think we were on a bicycle tour to Montreal when my friend Bruce had the idea of attaching sails to our bikes to make them go faster. Always the practical one, I chalked it up as another of his hare-brained schemes, like his vacuum-cleaner shoes.
One thing I discovered when I set off on my bicycle tour of the Olympic Peninsula was that I needed to learn more about lightweight bicycle touring.
The League of American Bicyclists has added eight more communities to its list of Bicycle Friendly Communities, expanding the number of honored cities to 58.
Cyclist Floyd Landis received word this week from the US Anti-Doping Agency that he's been formally charged with using performance-enhancing drugs during the Tour de France bicycle race.
How's this for a way to finish a three-day bike tour in mid-September?
... on your torso, on your shades, in your portfolio, etc....
This bunch of bicycles caught my eye at the Port Townsend Marina last month while I was on my bike tour of the Olympic Peninsula. The sailors who depend on the wind to propel their sailboats rely on their own muscle-power to get themselves around town. No fossil fuels involved.
Two teen-agers died in separate MS 150 Bike Tour fund-raisers last weekend in collisions with motor vehicles.
Dungeness River Bridge. Johnson Creek and Morse Creek trestles.
Spain's Grand Tour bike race that started 2 1/2 weeks ago with 189 cyclists competing has boiled down to a battle between two cyclists -- Alejandro Valverde of Spain and Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan.
Seventy-year-old Sean Sweeney had a unique way of training for his latest bicycle tour from Montana to Alaska -- he hauled sand.
The Big Apple has announced big plans for a bicycle network that encompasses the addition of 200 miles of new on-street bicycle lanes, routes and pathways in the next three years.
Former US Postal Service cyclist Frankie Andreu tells the New York Times in Tuesday's editions that he took the blood-boosting drug EPO in 1999.
It's a smaller company that Burley Design workers returned to Monday morning after the Eugene, Oregon-based trailer and bike maker was purchased by a local businessman last week.
At least in the UK, motorists pass more closely to bicycle riders who wear helmets than they do cyclists who ride without a helmet.
See Greg ride. America's first Tour de France winner Greg LeMond is cycling in this year's Dam2Dam Thumbs Up! Bike Tour, scheduled to begin Sept. 30 in Wenatchee, Washington.
You might say I don't get out much, but I saw some bicycle signs that were new to me during my bicycle tour of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula last week.
You'll probably see news reports about the 
Jane Tomlinson wants people to know that even someone with terminal cancer can live a full life. That idea brought her to the US to ride her bicycle cross-country.
I attached my gear-loaded trailer and front panniers to the bicycle last week and headed down the driveway for the Olympic Peninsula. As you can see from this first-night self-portrait at Chimacum about 10 hours later, it was going to be a good trip.
To me, one of the coolest things to come out of the USA Cycling Pro Championships this weekend in Greenville, South Carolina, is seeing Saul Raisin back on the bicycle again. 
Cycling over familiar ground -- like five trips over 1,872-foot Paris Mountain -- may have helped George Hincapie on Sunday.
Here's something I ran across, thanks to the 
