November 2008 archive
There are hectic days when the weather is nice, but I just can't get out for a long bike ride. That's when I jump on my mountain bike to ride some trails and finish up with a stop at a local grocery to pick up something for dinner — all in under an hour.
Part of the bicycle route is on an unassuming dirt path that veers into a second-growth forest behind some homes in neighboring Newcastle.
I never thought much about this dirt trail that dead-ends at a stairway high above May Creek until recently. That's when I found out that this is no ordinary dirt trail.
Merely 1.7 miles long, the May Creek Trail is the abandoned route of a narrow-gauge railroad of the 1800s that connected the lucrative old coalfields of old Newcastle to docks in Seattle. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/04/peeling-back-the-history-of-my-sub-hour-mountain-bike-route-october-ride-stats/
Carried trains between Newcastle and Seattle. Original at HistoryLink.org.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/04/railroad-trestle-over-may-creek/
Railroad connected Newcastle and Seattle.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/04/bike-trail-along-old-railroad/
Organizers of a community bicycle ride associated with Australia's Tour Down Under are reporting record interest in the event this year and expect to cut off participation at 5,000 cyclists.
Some 3,500 cyclists already have registered for the Mutual Community Challenge, and tour officials are attributing the greater interest to Lance Armstrong's participation in the 2009 Tour Down Under, which runs from Jan. 20-25.
The community bike race is similar to the Tour de France's popular L'Etape du Tour, in which amateur cyclists ride a stage of that the pros will tackle later …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/04/soaring-interest-in-australias-tour-down-under-community-bike-ride/
The bicycle race through South Australia is the first event on the UCI pro tour in 2009. Events run from Jan. 20-25, 2009. Details at Tour Down Under.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/03/tour-down-under-logo/
There's nothing that says something as useful as a bicycle rack has to be ugly.
Ever since New York City's transportation commissioner called them “handcuffs chained to the street,” that city has been encouraging artists to create more visually appealing bike racks. One of the first was David Byrne.
But way ahead of the Big Apple is Louisville, Kentucky. If you passed this sculpture at the corner of Fourth and Mohammad Ali in Louisville, would “bike rack” be the first thing to come to mind? …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/03/is-it-a-bike-rack-or-is-it-art/
Louiseville, Kentucky, bicycle rack created by David Bibelhauser. One of 24 installed throughout the downtown. See more at LDMD streetscape website.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/03/louisville-bike-rack/
Surprising no one except a few naysayers, Lance Armstrong launched his comeback career by winning the Tour de Gruene individual time trial on Saturday and a 2-man team time trial on Sunday.
Many were in awe of riding against Armstrong. Here's what 2nd-place finisher, Eric Benz, said about starting right ahead of Armstrong on Saturday:
“There's plenty of times you're out training that you imagine things, like making a shot like Michael Jordan or if you're a cyclist, staying ahead of Lance Armstrong. There were three or four times when I was riding here that I kind of had to pinch myself. Not only was I thinking I had to stay in front of Lance Armstrong, but he truly was behind me chasing me. ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/02/hes-still-got-it-lance-armstrong-wins-both-tour-de-gruene-time-trials/
A charity bicycle tour in Australia to support people with multiple sclerosis drew a record number of participants this past weekend, as well as a record number of ambulance calls.
The 2008 Sydney to Gong Bike Ride drew 14,000 riders this weekend, raising an estimated $1.7 million for the MS foundation.
It wasn't without a toll, however. According to news reports, paramedics treated 24 cyclists, half of whom required hospitalization. Further, the St. John Ambulance teams treated 300 people for injuries such as cuts and bruises, as well as conditions like dehydration. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/02/high-injury-toll-on-charity-bike-ride-in-australia/
Photo by Miller's…Good Call at flickr.com
Fans swarm Lance Armstrong at the Tour de Gruene time trial in New Braunfels, Texas.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/02/lance-armstrong-heads-to-tour-de-gruene-start-line/
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