2006 archive

When late travel writer Eric Newby rode his bicycle

Popular UK travel writer Eric Newby died at age 86 last week. The British adventurer, whose travelling experiences stretched back to 1938, at times included a bicycle in his treks.

NPR reported on Eric Newby's death and replayed a portion of an 1988 interview conducted after Newby and his wife, Wanda, had spent a “blustery winter” (is there any other kind?) cycling through Ireland.

After commenting they were geriatric cyclists (he would have been in his 60s), Newby said, “It required considerable guts on Wanda's part ….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/25/when-late-travel-writer-eric-newby-rode-his-bicycle/

Eric Newby book

Round Ireland in Low Gear

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/25/eric-newby-book/

Teen who killed bicyclist shares lesson about text messaging

The Periscope section in this week's Newsweek (Oct. 30) carries the story of Patrick Sims and warns about the hazards of text messaging while driving.

Sims is the Colorado teen who checked a text message on his phone, drifted into a bike lane and struck and killed 63-year-old cyclist Jim Price. He told the Denver Post:

“That day, that text message seemed important to me. Now I couldn't even tell you what it said. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/25/teen-who-killed-bicyclist-shares-lesson-about-text-messaging/

Youngest “real” finisher at Mt. Diablo Challenge bicycle race

A few weeks ago I reported my awe in the fastest and oldest finishers of the Mt. Diablo Challenge, a bike ride in the East Bay suburbs of San Francisco that gains 3,249 feet in 10.8 miles.

I mentioned some youngsters went up on tandems and trailers, but missed the story of 6-year-old Trey Holterman, the youngest solo bicyclist ever to finish the event.

His proud dad, Gordy, told the San Mateo County Times:

“There was a ceremony afterward, and the host asked a bunch of the kids up onto the stage,” Gordy said. “Trey was the smallest kid up there, and the emcee asked him 'Did you go up the mountain on the back of your dad's bike?' Trey said, 'No, I rode myself.' The audience loved that.” …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/24/youngest-real-finisher-at-mt-diablo-challenge-bicycle-race/

Cyclists riding up Mt. Diablo

Annual Mount Diablo Challenge pits bicycle riders against 10.8-mile, 3,400-foot climb. Photo by KAP Cris at flickr.com.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/24/cyclists-riding-up-mt-diablo/

Journey that Saved Curious George

Book by Louise Borden tells how Hans and Margret Rey escaped Paris ahead of the Nazi invasion in 1940, at Houghton Mifflin Company.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/23/journey-that-saved-curious-george/

Bicycle can offer more than a “sense” of freedom

We've all experienced a sense of freedom on a bicycle. As a kid, I remember my bike giving me freedom from the confines of the yard, then the confines of the neighborhood. Now it's just the freedom of being on the road under my own power.

For others, bicycles have provided freedom from oppression.

Take for instance the story of Imre Antal's escape from Hungary, published on today's 50th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/23/bicycle-can-offer-more-than-a-sense-of-freedom/

Disabled bike theft victim to get new wheels

It looks like the Michigan stroke victim, whose specially adapted bicycle was stolen last week, will get a new bike.

The Grand Rapids woman had locked it up at a bus stop during work only to discover it was missing when she returned. The 21-speed Diamondback Wildwood was outfitted with two extra wheels for balance and baskets for carrying groceries.

Beth Bailey, 53, needs the adaptations because of strokes she suffered in 1980 and 2003. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/23/disabled-bike-theft-victim-to-get-new-wheels/

Seattle's Portland bike envy

It looks like a local newspaper, right along with some area governments, is raising its conciousness level regarding the bicycle-riding public.

Two Seattle Times section fronts in the past week feature bicycling: “Autumn cycling in the Methow Valley” in Northwest Weekend by outdoors writer Michael McQuaide and “Wheeler Dealers” by Paula Bock in the Pacific Northwest Sunday magazine.

McQuaide writes about the miles of scenic, little trafficked roads available rural north central Washington, on the dry side of the Cascades. I remember cycling through there with the Cascade Bicycle Club's Ride Around Washington (RAW) a few years ago and learning that some areas get as little rainfall as Arizona.

On the flip side, Bock reports on cyclists surviving in heavily trafficked Seattle, and the fledgling efforts being made by the city to serve its bicycle-riding population.

Cyclists in Seattle, she writes, have Portland Envy. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/22/seattles-portland-bike-envy/

CPSC releases old recall notice

There has been no recall of the Light & Motion batteries, as reported here on Wednesday.

The Light & Motion support page says:

“On October 17, 2006, the CPSC reposted a 3 year old press release for a batch of li-ion batteries. Light & Motion voluntarily and successfully recalled those batteries way back …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/10/21/cpsc-releases-old-recall-notice/