2009 archive
The wait is almost over. Lance Armstrong's official return to professional cycling finally comes Sunday with the Cancer Council Classic.
The 30-lap, 51km criterium in Adelaide is a prelude to Australia's Tour Down Under that runs Tuesday through Sunday. Armstrong has admitted that he'd rather not come out of 3 1/2 years of retirement in a crit.
Schedule
The Cancer Council Classic rolls out from 7 to 8:10 p.m. Sunday in Adelaide; that's 3:30 to 4:40 a.m. Sunday on the East Coast and 12:30 to 1:40 a.m. on the West Coast.
The usual suspects, such as CyclingNews, will offer updates throughout the race, and Versus will broadcast a 1/2-hour highlight show from 4-4:30 p.m. (East Coast) and 1-1:30 p.m. (West Coast) on Sunday …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/17/criterium-kicks-off-armstrongs-return-to-pro-cycling-on-sunday/
Ryan Bowen has all but completed his 4,000-mile cross-country bicycle trip to commemorate Tuesday's historic inauguration of Barack Obama.
His blog, Biking for Obama, reports the 22-year-old from Los Angeles arrived in Fairfax, Virginia, this afternoon, and on Saturday he's due in Arlington. Then it's time to get ready to party.
The final stage meet-up and celebration is scheduled to leave about noon on Sunday from the Reagan National Airport for a bike tour around the mall and final destination at an as-yet undisclosed final party location …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/16/biking-for-obama-tour-arrives-in-dc-area-in-time-for-inauguration/
A lightly traveled two-lane road across an arid plateau in New Mexico. A dirt track in a remote valley in British Columbia. A level crushed-limestone path through a tunnel in Wisconsin.
These are among the bike routes chosen by Adventure Cyclist magazine in its list of Top Ten Bicycling Tours in North America.
It's the second year in a row that the publication for the Adventure Cycling Association has chosen 10 destinations for cyclists.
The 10 bike touring choices in the January issue are in no way meant solely for the road-hardened cyclo-tourist who revels in lugging his equipment-laden bicycle over mountain passes. There are rides for mountain bikers, recreational cyclists …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/16/magazine-picks-10-top-bicycling-tours-in-north-america/
Two Seattle-area female cycling coaches are offering a three-day clinic for women who are interested in getting into bicycling.
While helpful to all skill levels, the 2009 Women's Bicycle Retreat in Leavenworth, Washington, is geared to beginning cyclists. It's coached by Lisa Brudvik and Amy Pieper.
Last year's clinic hosted women ages 30-58 who attended clinics, rode their bicycles under the supervision of coaches and relaxed at the Mountain Springs Lodge. This year's clinic runs June 12-14 …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/15/bicycling-clinic-in-cascades-is-for-women-only/
It sounds like comeback cyclist Lance Armstrong will come full circle when he's finished with his return to the peloton.
On the eve of his return to pro cycling at the Tour Down Under, an interview published in Outside magazine reveals that he'd like to compete in an Ironman, and “I want to do it as fast as I can.”
Armstrong got his start in sports by excelling as a triathlete, which requires swimming, running and cycling. Biographies say he was a top-ranked triathlete in Texas, where he turned pro at age 16.
We all remember that he achieved greatness as a cyclist, but after winning his 7th Tour de France championship in 2005, Armstrong got back into running by competing in the occasional marathon (shown at right in his first New York City marathon in 2006).
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/15/first-cycling-then-ironman-for-lance-armstrong/
Heavy rains and snowmelt combined last week to flood wide areas of western Washington.
High water devastated the communities of Duvall, Carnation and Snoqualmie in the Snoqualmie River valley, as well as towns located further south, such as Pacifica, Centralia and Chehalis.
These are known haunts for cyclists in the area. The rural roads in the Snoqualmie Valley are ideal for long rides and are the routes for popular summer bike ride events like the Flying Wheels. Centralia and Chehalis are stopover towns for the annual Seattle-to-Portland bicycle ride. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/14/flooding-strikes-popular-bicycling-areas-in-western-washington/
Giant Bicycle is recalling about 1,000 TCR Advanced SL and SL (ISP) bicycles and frames because a problem in the density of the steerer tube can cause the forks to crack and break.
The 2009 model bicycles were sold from August through December last year for between $3,300 and $7,500. Cyclists are urged to stop riding the bicycles immediately and take them in to a Giant dealer for inspection and replacement fork.
The recall notice posted at the Consumer Product Safety Commission describes the part …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/14/giant-recalls-1000-bikes-and-frames-for-fork-flaw/
Watching the Golden Globes award show the other night, I was surprised to see this excellent Belgian beer commercial that tells the story of two brothers in a circa 1930s tandem bicycle race.
Entitled “The Race,” the 1:30-minute commercial for Stella Artois looks like it came directly from the pages of a book on the history of cycling in the Alps and Pyrenees, right down to the dusty roads and stone buildings.
Searching around, I discovered that the footage was shot on the Mediterranean island of Majorca (Mallorca in Spanish). The extras were cycling fanatics from the mountainous island, and the photos at the end of the piece came from a widow whose husband was a local cycling legend …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/14/stella-artois-beer-commercial-uses-vintage-bicycling-theme/
If you're still checking for a bicycle tour outfitter for your bicycling vacation this summer, then it might be worth your time to peruse this list from National Geographic Adventure magazine.
Editors compared nearly 250 adventure travel companies and ranked them by the type of activity and how they scored on a 30-question survey.
Among the 200 finalists across all disciplines, the top 10 companies in the bicycle touring category are listed below as they appear in the February issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/13/national-geographic-adventure-mag-lists-top-10-bicycle-touring-companies/
Apparently George W. Bush won't be the only former president who rides a bicycle when he leaves office next week.
Jimmy Carter also rides a bicycle. At least he did until his and former First Lady Rosalynn's bicycles were stolen recently from the Carter Center in Atlanta.
The Carters received the bicycles a couple of years ago from Peter Wicker, the owner of Outback Bikes in Atlanta. At the time, the couple had sent in their old bicycles for repair and Wicker said they weren't much more than “rolling junk,” reported the Atlanta Constitution …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/01/13/jimmy-carters-bicycle-ripped-off-secret-service-on-the-case/
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