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How to qualify for freebies by supporting the US Bicycle Route System

11 hours 34 min ago

The “Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It.” campaign for the US Bicycle Route System is continuing with some generous gifts and contests.

The non-profit Adventure Cycling Association is sponsoring the campaign to raise $50,000 during National Bike Month to help offset its expenses in coordinating development of the nationwide bicycle route network.

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1984 Bike Tour: Day 5 – Discovering gravity the hard way;And traffic volume then and now

13 hours 20 min ago

Our Bikecentennial guidebook calls this the rolling Piedmont of Louisa and Hanover counties. Contemplating the issue of gravity on the porch of Kent's Store, I decided I'm carrying too much stuff.

These might be called rollercoaster hills, but they aren't as much fun as an amusement park. I speed downhill at top speed, cross a creek, then begin the uphill struggle. All that momentum is lost the moment the slope changes. Even

though I had installed a triple chainring, giving me 15 gears, I can't downshift fast enough to sustain any speed. I'm either jamming the chain or dropping down to the lowest gears, spinning the pedals furiously to make any progress....

The most prevalent wildlife in Pacific Northwest

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 08:15

I’ve seen the occasional deer on my bike rides through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, but the “wildlife” I come across most often is the slug.

They’re a common sight slithering across trails here, leaving behind a glistening track as evidence of their passing.

I’ve never consciously run over one. Yes, I brake for …

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1984 Tour: Day 4 – Give me cycling or give me death

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 05:15

I jumped out of the sack before 6, but we still didn't leave until 8. Three packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast. It's still friggin' cold (see Bruce in sweater, left).

After pedaling around Ashland, we headed up some narrow roads to Scotchtown, the home of Patrick Henry. We ate an early lunch there and met the groundskeeper, an old guy in beatup overalls.

After leaving Scotchtown, the route started to climb. We were leaving the sandy Tidewater region and entering the firmer Piedmont plateau. This means that streams drop a few feet to the softer coastal sands, earning the term "fall line."  We found another reason to call it the "fall line." .....

1984 Bike Tour: Day 3 – Still a shakedown cruise

Tue, 05/15/2012 - 05:15

After another breakfast of instant coffee, Pop-tarts and juice, we followed the campground owner's directions to the TransAmerica bicycle route via the historical Washington-Rochambeau route.

Today was chilly riding. Bruce wore polypro bottoms and tops, sweats, turtleneck, wool sweater, gloves and a hat under his helmet. Yesterday's warmish 80 degree high makes the weather today seem that much cooler....

24 more cities are now Bicycle Friendly Communities

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 07:59
The League of American Bicyclists designated two dozen new Bicycle Friendly Communities on Monday, raising the number of such communities to 214 in 47 states. In addition, the League renewed the bicycle friendly status of 25 communities, raising 8 of them to a higher level. Fourteen cities received honorable mentions. ...

Ride of Silence and Bike to Work Day this week

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 07:30
All month we've been celebrating that coolest of all forms of transportation -- the bicycle. The recognition slips into high gear this Monday through Friday for National Bicycle Week, culminating in Bike to Work Day. You might be aware of bike-related promotions this week. In the Seattle area, for instance, anyone who loads a bicycle on a King County Metro bus or Sound Transit express bus this week will ride for free ...

1984 Bike Tour: Day 2 – First roadside attraction – Shirley Plantation

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 05:54
We awoke to roosters crowing Monday morning. They walked down the hill from the house and strutted around our campsite.

Bruce and I climbed out of the tent at 5:45. It took us two hours to get ready, and most of that was just repacking our panniers so that the stuff we'd probably use first was at the top.

After pop tarts and coffee (the water heated on a one-burner Coleman stove), we were back on the road at 8. ...

Odd memories from a 1984 bicycle tour; Day 1 to Charles City, VA.

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 09:34

My friend Bruce unearthed this old photo of us walking across the sand at Virginia Beach after dipping our rear tires in the Atlantic Ocean to start our cross-country bicycle tour in 1984.

After our ceremony, we climbed in a car with our girlfriends and drove to Yorktown, Va., where we actually started our 11-week …

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Canadian cyclist in the pink at Giro d’Italia bike race

Sat, 05/12/2012 - 10:06

Another day, another jersey change at the Giro d’Italia after Stage 7 on Saturday.

Garmin-Barracuda’s Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian to ever wear the maglia rosa, as his main rival lost his steam on the final climb of the 125-mile stage from Recanati to Rocca di Cambio.

The 31-year-old from Victoria, BC, has been …

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Biggest mystery of Tour of California resolved; also TV schedule

Sat, 05/12/2012 - 07:15
A big question has loomed over the Amgen Tour of California bike race that starts on Sunday: Is 3-time winner Levi Leipheimer well enough to compete in the 8-stage race? Leipheimer, who suffered a fractured fibula when he was struck from behind by a car in early April, finally answered that question on Friday. ...

Cool prizes for supporting U.S. Bicycle Route System

Fri, 05/11/2012 - 15:02

As you no doubt know, the non-profit Adventure Cycling Association is holding a fund-raising drive all month to offset its expenses in coordinating development of the U.S. Bicycle Route System.

The association needs to raise another $2,230 before midnight Saturday to receive a matching grant from TeamEstrogen.com. To coax that cash out of your bank …

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Bicycle author writes about mid-1930s world bicycle travelers

Fri, 05/11/2012 - 09:56

A few months ago, I wrote a short blog post here about Fred Birchmore, the mid-1930s bicycle traveler from Georgia. He may have been the first “Fred” — now a mocking term for a bicycling enthusiast.

At the time, “Bicycle: The History” author David V. Herlihy was working on a piece about Birchmore for the …

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He who was last shall be first at Giro; also Tyler Farrar crashes out

Fri, 05/11/2012 - 08:45

Two years ago, Italian cyclist Adriano Malori earned the unwanted honor of the laterne rouge by finishing last at the Tour de France.

After Friday’s Stage 6 at the Giro d’Italia, the 24-year-old team Lampre cyclist will be wearing the overall leader’s pink jersey.

Malori survived in a breakaway to finish second in the day’s …

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Northern Tier Bicycle Route highway opens in Washington

Thu, 05/10/2012 - 15:11
One of the most scenic rides in the US is open to traffic, including bicycles. The North Cascades Highway opened at noon today after state highway crews spent the past seven weeks clearing away snow nearly 60 feet deep. The scene at left shows crews pushing through an avalanche chute near Liberty Bell, one of the landmarks near Washington Pass just two weeks ago. ...

Salsa recalls faulty bike racks

Thu, 05/10/2012 - 09:23

Salsa Cycles is recalling about 1,100 faulty bicycle racks that can break off the bike, causing the rider to lose control.

The wholly owned brand of Bloomington, Minn.-based Quality Bicycle Products recommends that users immediate remove the racks from their bikes and take them to authorized Salsa dealers for inspection, re-mounting or a refund.

The …

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Hopping aboard the train to victory at Giro d’Italia

Thu, 05/10/2012 - 08:51
Sprinter Mark Cavendish may be riding for a different team this year, but the lead-out train for the "Manx Missile" approaching the finish line for Stage 5 at the Giro d'Italia on Thursday resembled textbook set-ups by HTC Columbia earlier in his career. Team Sky's efforts earned another victory for Cavendish, his second at this year's Giro. Garmin-Barracuda's Ramunas Navardauskas continued to lead overall after the 123-mile bike race from Modena to Fano. American Taylor Phinney, dropped off the radar on Thursday after another crash. ...

New leader at Giro d’Italia after team time trial

Wed, 05/09/2012 - 09:50
In case you didn't get the memo, the Garmin-Barracuda cycling team pretty much owns the team time trial event at the Giro d'Italia. They won the event in 2008, propelling American cyclist Christian Vande Velde into the maglia rosa. And they won it again this morning, pushing Lithuanian cyclist Ramunas Navardauskas to the overall lead. Wenatchee, Washington's Tyler Farrar, the team's sprinter, found himself in 2nd place overall after the race. Vande Velde rose to 9th place overall. ...

Top 10 rails-to-trails states; Michigan is No. 1

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 07:25
Michigan is fast becoming a major destination for bicycle touring, and one of its major draws is its wide-ranging network of rails-to-trails. Abandoned and out-of-service railroad corridors criss-cross the state, and local governments and "friends of the trail" groups are transforming these into paved and gravel trails for bikes and other non-motorized users. In fact, Michigan leads the nation in upgrading railroad corridors into bike trails. Its 126 rails-to-trails stretch for 2,379 miles around the state ...

Tragic end for charity bicycle tour on a Georgia road

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 08:35
Two of the three Florida friends who embarked on a 850-mile pledge bicycle tour were laid to rest in separate ceremonies on Saturday. All three were struck by a motorist on a Georgia highway one night last month. Only one survived. Todd Metts, Jeffrey Dunn and Kenny Hunt were long-time cycling companions. Metts, a board member of a missionary group, suggested the other two join him on a pledge ride this spring from Washington DC to their homes in Florida....