Rack-maker scores New Belgium contract
Two things about the front bicycle racks made in a small Fort Collins, Colorado, shop caught the eye of a New Belgium Brewing Co. designer:
-- The racks used beetle-killed wood from Colorado's forests;
-- The racks could hold a case of beer.
So the beer brewery, which supplies cruiser bicycles to charities and its new employees, ordered 2,600 front racks from the shop for its new line of New Belgium 2010 cruisers.
That's a gold strike for Carver Surf Racks owner Orlando Baker ...
2010 Seattle Bike Expo: Same show, new location, web coupon
See coupon below
This weekend's Seattle Bike Expo, the largest consumer bicycle show in the US, has landed at yet another location this year.
The Smith Cove Cruise Terminal 91 in Magnolia is the new home for the all-things-bicycling show, open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Here's a link for easy bicycling and driving directions. Car parking (2,500 capacity) costs $5 and the exhibition hall is about a half-mile walk; a shuttle bus also will run during the show. Secure bike parking is provided by BikeWorks right at the entrance.
From the Eastside, I'll probably head across .....
Leipheimer and Contador crash in Paris-Nice; still in top 10
After the Paris-Nice peloton battled gusty winds for more than 100 miles, Team Sky's Greg Henderson won the Stage 1 sprint by slipping past Lampre's Grega Bole right at the finish.
Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) attacked the field with less than a mile to go in Contres, but couldn't sustain the long sprint.
Prologue winner Lars Boom of Rabobank remained in the yellow jersey as Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack) and Alberto Contador (Astana) dropped to 7th and 8th in the overall standings after suffering crashes. They started the day in 3rd and 4th place ....
Sky's Kennaugh breaks collarbone
Isle of Man cyclist Peter Kennaugh fractures a collarbone after crashing at the Strade Bianche Eroica race in Italy.
Sky gain first major European win
New Zealander Greg Henderson delivers Team Sky's first major victory in Europe with a gritty sprint finish in stage one of the Paris-Nice race.
Paris-Nice latest results
Latest results and standings from 'The race to the sun'
Asia, Africa: Istanbul to ... Cape Town, by Will and Carrie
To seek adventure and escape from the mundane we left New Zealand to travel overland from India to Cape Town in August 09. Whilst in Iran we met two crazy Frenchmen cycling from Beijing to Paris. It took little encouragement to be convinced of the benefits of travelling by the most efficient means yet to be invented. The humble bicycle. Whilst we have little experience of bicycles or bicycle touring, we are excited by the possibility of travelling slowly, village to village, rather than the tedious bus rides from city to city. We will head south from Istanbul, with no timeframe and no destination. (we head home when the money runs out) Just a crazy desire to be free and experience the wonders of this beautiful world.
Belgian rider in whirlwind crash
Belgian rider Gert Steegmans breaks a collarbone after being caught in a whirlwind during the Paris-Nice prologue.
Murcia ends with Armstrong in 7th; Paris-Nice begins with Leipheimer in 3rd
Lance Armstrong finished the Vuelta de Murcia on Sunday in 7th place behind winner Frantisek Rabon of HTC-Columbia; Armstrong's plans include adding another race to his Tour de France preparations.
Meanwhile, his Team RadioShack teammate Levi Leipheimer opened the Paris-Nice bike race with a third place finish in the prologue, 6 seconds behind Lars Boom of Rabobank. The race will roll across France through Sunday.
More action unfolds this week as the Tirreno-Adriatico rolls out Wednesday for seven days across Italy. Highlights will be streamed live on the Universal Sports website.
Regarding his 7th place finish, Armstrong told reporters:
"Worried would be too strong of a word. ....
Wiggins third in Tour of Murcia
Bradley Wiggins finishes third in the five-day Tour of Murcia behind winner Frantisek Rabon, with Lance Armstrong seventh.
Team Columbia's Rabon leads Murcia; Armstrong climbs to 7th
HTC-Columbia's Czech time-trial champion Frantisek Rabon won Stage 5 of the Murcia bike race on Saturday and took the overall lead, as Lance Armstrong climbed into 7th place.
The Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia across southern Spain ends Sunday with a 75-mile stage that's expected to end in a mass sprint.
Elsewhere, the week-long Paris-Nice bicycle race starts Sunday in France, and Tirreno-Adriatico rolls out Wednesday for seven days across Italy.
While top racers struggle for top finishes in the Murcia bike race, most eyes are on Armstrong. RadioShack manager Johan Bruyneel made headlines ...
Historic Route 66 seeing new life as a bicycle route?
Travelers driving between Chicago and LA used to get their kicks on Route 66 before it was essentially decommissioned in the 1980s with the emergence of the Interstate Highway system.
Now some surviving portions of the Mother Road in the Midwest have become destinations for bicycle tours while other abandoned stretches are being considered for bicycle trails.
The old highway, which dates back to 1920s, sounds like a great place to travel by bike today -- in places. It wends across the landscape visiting small towns and passing the old-timey car culture claptrap of art-deco-style motels and diners bright with neon.
Elsewhere, of course, it's buried under freeways, becomes part of a frontage road system ....
Former Sun exec on cross-country bike tour
Former Sun Microsystems general counsel Mike Dillon has embarked on a cross-country bicycle tour after finishing the months of work to hammer together Sun's acquisition by Oracle.
Since Oracle's completion of its acquisition at the end of January, Dillon already has purchased a Bruce Gordon Rock n Road touring bike, flown to Jacksonville, Florida, and is five days into his journey back to Silicon Valley.
A cross-country ride is something he's wanted to do for years, he says at Mike's Blog, and now he's got the opportunity to do it:
"I’ve decided that the immediate “what’s next” for me will be to ride my bicycle across the U.S. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was in college .....
Town planners: forget the Netherlands, visit Cambridge
Last month I trained two Janus-style helmet-cams and a handheld camera at bike advocates, MPs and Lords on a study tour of Cambridge. This was for the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group.
The resulting video had its first showing yesterday; in Parliament.
At a meeting afterwards, one of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign advocates said that while [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Town planners: forget the Netherlands, visit Cambridge", url: "http://quickrelease.tv/?p=1167" });
Bicycling to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain
Take it from me; don't poo-poo the bike ride over to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain east of Seattle.
After easily tackling the Chilly Hilly bike ride Sunday on Bainbridge Island, I made the quick decision a couple of days later to pedal my Rockhopper over to the launch point for those paragliders I've seen soaring south of Issaquah.
Quickly checking my Green Trails Map for Tiger Mountain, I saw the trailhead of the old logging road was at 1,400 feet elevation and my destination was 1,780 feet. I should have looked at the route more closely, instead of rushing out of the house. Or, checked with the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance wiki for Poo Poo Point. ...
Washington state veering away from complete cellphone ban
Some of Washington's state legislators must have been distracted when they were told that cellphone use delays a driver's reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol content of .08 percent, which can earn you a DUI.
The State House legislators voted to ban texting and cellphone use by 16- and 17-year-olds and make texting a primary offense for adult motorists. But adult handheld cellphone use is still a secondary offense, meaning you've got to be breaking some other law to be pulled over.
As a vulnerable road user when I'm on my bicycle, it constantly worries me that the motorist behind me might be more concerned with the cellphone call than what's in the road in front of him, namely me. I've read too many news reports of bicyclists killed or injured .....
David Herlihy tracks "The Lost Cyclist"
Bicycle historian David V. Herlihy has wrapped up another book, "The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and his Mysterious Disappearance."
You probably remember Herlihy's previous work, "Bicycle: The History." That heavily researched and interesting book recounted not only the technological advances of the bicycle from the draisine to modern times, but also told us about pioneers in the field and the social impact of two-wheeled travel.
In his latest effort, Herlihy examines the around-the-world bicycle journey of bike racer Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh (that's Lenz at right in India in 1893).
Setting off in 1892 aboard a "safety bicycle" with inflatable tires, Lenz traveled the globe for two years before disappearing forever in Turkey.
In an email, I asked Herlihy why he chose ....
Canada: Our cycling trip across the Icefield Parkway from Jasper to Banff, by Fernando Candido
This is the story of our trip in Bicycle between the towns of Jasper and Banff in Canada.
Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride battles through first night
Cavendish second in Spain
Manx cyclist Mark Cavendish finishes second at the Clasica de Almeria, Spain.
Was this Britain’s earliest SMIDSY?
SMIDSY is clearly nothing new. Drivers have been saying ’sorry, mate, I didn’t see you,’ from the earliest days of motoring. Although as the first drivers were all toffs, they probably never said sorry when they ran over the rural poor.
In September, 1902, the Chief Constable of Huntingdonshire wrote to the Home Office:
“It is a [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Was this Britain’s earliest SMIDSY?", url: "http://quickrelease.tv/?p=1164" });
Manchester to host World Cup meet
Manchester Velodrome is confirmed as the venue for the final round of the 2011 UCI Track World Cup Classics.
Rain ends Cavendish's final stage
Manx cyclist Mark Cavendish dropped out of the final stage of the Tour of Andalucia in rainy conditions.
Brazil, Venezuela: Manaus - Caracas (it), by Roberto Canessa
siamo un piccolo gruppo di amici che stanno pianificando di viaggiare in bicicletta da Manaus a Caracas il prossimo mese di agosto. Se qualcuno fosse interessato a partecipare sarebbe il benvenuto.
Wiggins impresses in time trial
Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins comes second in the individual time trial on Wednesday's penultimate stage of the Tour of Andalucia.
Canada: Biking the Rockies to the Okanagan Valley, by Fernando Candido
This is the story of my trip from Field in British Columbia, Canada through Rogers Pass all the way to the sunny Okanagan Valley.
Team Sky race schedule (external)
Boasson Hagen ends with Oman win
Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen wins the final time trial of the Tour of Oman to finish second overall.
Show 34: Heinz Stücke Interview
Heinz Stücke is the world's most experienced bike tourist. On the road since 1962, he's covered 600,000km by bicycle. Now 70 years old, Heinz is still going strong. Listen to this special edition of the TravellingTwo bike touring podcast to hear about how he tours, why he doesn't wear a helmet and where he's off to next.
Switzerland: Il Reno dalle sorgenti a Basilea (the Rhin from the source to Basel) (it), by webmaster - castione.ch
Il Reno, fiume europeo per eccellenza, via d'acqua e di commercio, fonte di sostentamento e di ricchezza delle genti che da sempre si sono inseduate lungo le sue rive; oltre 1'300 chilometri molti dei quali sono diventati confini naturali degli stati che attraversa, dalla Svizzera all'Olanda passando per Francia e Germania. Il Reno è uno dei simboli dell'Europa, le sue rive uno dei tracciati piú frequentati dai cicloviaggiatori. Questa è la prima tappa di un viaggio che intende percorrerlo tutto, dalle sue sorgenti nel cuore delle Alpi fino alla foce nel mare del nord, dai paesaggi naturali quasi incontaminati a una fra le aree industriali piú vaste del continente. Lungo il cammino non mancherà l'occasione di visitare alcune città, alla scoperta della storia, dell'arte e della cultura d'Occidente. La prima tappa del viaggio lungo il corso del Reno ha inizio nelle Alpi, nel cantone dei Grigioni e piú precisamente sul passo dellOberalp dove si trova una delle sorgenti del fiume, quella del Reno anteriore (Vorderrhein); laltra sorgente, quella del Reno posteriore (Hinterrhein) si trova nei pressi del passo del San Bernardino. Il fiume termina la prima parte della sua corsa nel lago di Costanza (Bodensee) a Fussach, in Germania, per poi formarsi di nuovo a Stein am Rhein (Svizzera).
Switzerland: Svizzera centrale: da Berna a Lucerna (from Bern to Luzern) (it), by wemaster - castione.ch
La regione che si trova subito a nord delle Alpi svizzere è ricca di laghi, grandi e piccoli. Agli estremi si trovano i due bacini piú grandi, il lago Lemano a sudovest e il lago di Costanza (Bodensee) a nordest, che segnano anche i confini naturali del vasto altipiano e della stessa Confederazione, dal cantone di Ginevra a San Gallo. Il percorso che attraversa la Svizzera centrale si snoda fra questi estremi restando ai margini del grande altopiano, e tocca buona parte dei laghi posti alle pendici della catena alpina, all'incirca fra Thun e Walenstadt, attraversando anche alcuni centri maggiori come Berna, Thun, Lucerna, Zugo, Zurigo, Rapperswil: siamo nel cuore della Svizzera, dove si trovano i cosiddetti cantoni primitivi. Finché si resta sulle sponde dei laghi il percorso non presenta particolari difficoltà, anzi è spesso pianeggiante; d'altra parte siamo ancora in un territorio segnato dalle Alpi, quindi capita che ci si trovi a dover superare qualche dislivello o passo alpino (è il caso del Brünig fra Meiringen e Sachseln). Ho suddiviso il tracciato in due parti: la prima da Berna a Lucerna (circa 160 chilometri da percorrere in due giorni, con sosta a Meiringen), la seconda da Lucerna a Rapperswil (100 km , percorso di una giornata). Questo è il resoconto della prima tappa.
Europe: Alpine bicycletour from a col onto an other col - 7th year / part, by Györgi Gábor
In the summer of 2009 I cycled in the Alps again. I organized my tour around 3 milestones: I registered for participating in the 2nd hardest well known bicycle-marathon of Europe, the traditional and famous La Marmotte (174 kms + 4900m heightdiff. with the Col du Glandon, Col du Galibier and at last Alpe d’Huez.). The other event was the international BIG meeting in South Bayern (Germany) with other bicycletourers and at last a test tour along the route of the Ötztaler radmarathon (228 km + 5200 m heightdiff.). A participation on that event in the following year became one of my dreams in my life. Beside these I visited another nice and memorable climbs above 2000m, in Switzerland (Mattmarksee, Lac Moiry, Barrage Grand Dixence, Alpe Galm, Tatschalp, Oberaarsee besides snowwalls and the wonderful Männlichen, etc) and in France (Col de la Colombiere, Val Thorens, Col de l'Iseran, etc.) the country of the Tour de France. I had successful days on the La Marmotte and the Ötztaler radmarathon testtour. Totally I cycled 2335 kms + 47060 m heightdifference on 18-19 whole days.
Europe: Bike Journeys, by George & Monique
For me this is the fifth year of touring and the fourth for my wife. Our site is about the cycle tours we've made through Europe. We've cycled trough nine countries so far (some several times) and hope to visit the rest in the years to come. Enjoy!
Arrest warrant issued for Landis
A judge issues an arrest warrant for cyclist Floyd Landis for allegedly hacking into a French anti-doping agency laboratory computer.
America: Bike Tour Peru
3rd try is a charm. Strained Achilles, Broken arm, pause. Now we're in Argentina with next to no money, setting out into the unknown. El niño may have washed out the roads in Bolivia, Macchu Picchu is closed until April. With alternate itineraries at the ready, we think we'll make it.
