2009 archive

Woman gets 20 years for DUI hit & run in bicyclist's death

A 32-year-old Florida woman with a history of alcohol abuse was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the death of a Pensacola man who was riding his bicycle to his night shift job in June.

Michael Steele, 25, was killed when the woman driving a GMC Yukon hit his bike from behind while she texted on her cellphone. Police said he rolled over the hood and landed about 40 feet away.

He was riding his bike to his job stocking shelves at the local Winn-Dixie so his wife could use the couple's only car to drive to her job in the morning ….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/29/woman-gets-20-years-for-dui-hit-s-death/

Ride the City directs bike riders to safest routes

Bicyclists in Seattle should feel fortunate that the creators of Ride the City chose their town as the latest addition to the online bike-route mapping tool.

Since launching the website for New York City last year, Vaidila Kungys and Jordan Anderson have added Chicago, Austin, Louisville, San Diego and now Seattle to their mapping tool.

Don't blame these guys for the slow roll-out; Vaidila told me that they have full-time jobs and update the website during coffee breaks, lunches and after work.

Essentially, Ride the City is a mapping tool that finds the most direct route between two points, much like Google maps does for car travel [you can give it a test drive on the jump] ….

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/28/ride-the-city-directs-bike-riders-to-safest-routes/

Bike mapping tool logo

Ride the City now in Seattle.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/28/bike-mapping-tool-logo/

Bike quote: How Bruyneel convinced Armstrong not to quit

“Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.”

The text message that Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel sent to Lance Armstrong after the American cyclist broke his collarbone at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon bike race in March. Bruyneel told a Belgian magazine that Armstrong considered abandoning his comeback at the time.

Armstrong underwent surgery to the shattered bone …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/28/bike-quote-how-bruyneel-convinced-armstrong-not-to-quit/

Restricting bike riders who exercise dogs on leashes

My neighbor likes to give his dog a nice run at the end of a leash while he rides his bicycle. I cringe a little bit when I see them take off like this, but they always return in one piece.

While my concern is for his safety, an elected official in San Jose is worried about pedestrians. This after a 62-year-old woman walking along a city trail last summer got tangled in a dog leash, fell, hit her head, and later died. The dog on the leash was one of two being pulled by a bicyclist.

The councilwoman is calling a public hearing Wednesday night to find out what the public thinks about restricting bicyclists who give their dogs a run at the end of a leash while they ride.

It's the first time, at least in California …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/28/restricting-bike-riders-who-exercise-dogs-on-leashes/

Dog harness on recumbent trike

The inventor of Dog-Powered Scooters has expanded his line to include trikes and skateboards.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/28/dog-harness-on-recumbent-trike/

2010 Giro d'Italia route starts in Amsterdam, ends in Verona

The organizers of the 2010 Giro d'Italia announced a rigorous 2,118-mile route last weekend for the bike race that rolls out from May 8 to 30.

With the rescheduling of the 2010 Tour of California to May 16-23, pro cycling teams and their members will have to choose between competing in the 3-week Grand Tour or the 1-week California event.

Here's what the Giro is offering in 2010;

— Three days of racing based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to start;
— Six mountain stages that include the Gavia, Mortirolo, Terminillo, Zoncolan, Plan de Corones and Pejo Terme;
— Seven sprinters' stages …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/27/2010-giro-ditalia-route-starts-in-amsterdam-ends-in-verona/

Giro logo

2010

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/27/giro-logo/

Route for 2010 Giro d'Italia

The 2010 Giro d'Italia rolls out from May 8 to 30, beginning in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and ending up in Verona, Italy. That's right; no final stage in Milan.

More information about the 2010 Giro d'Italia can be found at the La Gazzetto dello Sport.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/27/route-for-2010-giro-ditalia/

Biking across campus on a sunny autumn day

Between the heavy rains on Friday and the fog on Sunday, Saturday was the archetypal fall day on an American college campus.

I can confidently use such a highfalutin word referring to Jungian psychology after attending a lecture by one of my son's profs at a parent's weekend event.

Accidentally, I caught a bike rider …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/26/biking-across-campus-on-a-sunny-autumn-day/