The Cascade Cycling Club in Seattle discusses bicycle commuting in the Cascade Commuter cycling blog. Check out the blog for cycling issues in Seattle, including discussion about Seattle's Bicycle Master Plan. The first public meeting on the Bicycle Master Plan is Tuesday evening, 6:30 p.m. at Gould Hall at the UW campus.
Other cycling blogs in the area are Kents Bike Blog and I Heart Seattle.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Cycling news weekend review
Funerals of officers killing in cycling event could draw thousands.
Ann Arbor, MI: Local bike culture grows as more people choose two wheels for commuting and recreation.
2-year-old on bike with training wheels accidentally hits a woman during 4th of July parade, woman sues for $235,000.
Isn't that sign in the photo about the coolest one you've ever seen? Get out and ride.
Friday, August 25, 2006
NAMBLA: North American Man Bike Love Association
Because we're (mostly) equal opportunity at Cyclelicious, I'll also point you to Megan Ann's bicycle love eloquence.
Photo info: boy with his new bike by Rumple.
Critical Mass for Katrina
According to organizers, an estimated 2,500 riders will hit the streets to remind the public about the plight of Katrina survivors while fundraising for advocacy groups. The ride will draw attention to the links between fossil fuels, climate change, and destructive hurricanes.
The ride is a collaborative effort between the national climate change action group Rising Tide North America and "Critical Mass" cyclist groups. The demand of the ride is for "climate justice" – that society’s poor and vulnerable should not suffer the consequences of climate change disproportionately.
Although the subject matter is serious, the bike ride will be filled with fun and laughter as people ride in costumes and with signs of crayfish and alligators on bikes. "We aren't here to just remind people about the ongoing suffering in the Gulf Coast," said Anna Sloan, a Critical Mass rider in Chicago, "we are riding also to promote something positive: bikes as a sustainable alternative to oil."
Activists chose August 25th, the date Katrina reached hurricane strength, to draw attention to recent studies linking global warming to increased hurricane intensity. A recent study by Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center of Atmospheric Research found that global warming accounted for half of the extra hurricane-fueling warmth in the waters of the tropical North Atlantic in 2005. Natural cycles were found to be only a minor factor.
"Katrina made the effects of climate change real," said Hornback. "We cannot ignore this problem anymore; we must take action now to address it or Katrina will be only the beginning."
More info at Rising Tide North America.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Mandatory helmets under discussion in Austin TONIGHT
Update: Austin helmet law rejected by Austin City Council. Read details at Austin Skate Notes.
The Austin City Council will hold a hearing tonight in a few moments to once again discuss mandatory helmets for all ages. Austin passed similar legislation in 1996, modifying the law a year and half later so that it now applies only to cyclists ages 17 and younger.
The League of Bicycling Voters in Austin has been campaigning hard to fight this legislation. According to the LOBV, helmet laws discourage cycling, distract attention from real bike safety initiatives, unfairly targets cyclists, give motorists who injure cyclists anonther excuse to escape liability, and give police another way to harass minorities on bicycles.
Former Mayor Bruce Todd, who champions the law, calls bicycling a "privilege" that requires special regulation, even though people have been riding bikes for hundreds of years without regulation. Bikes — with extremely rare exceptions — don’t kill or injure pedestrians or cause property damage.
According to LOBV founder Rob D'Amico, a public debate on this topic early in August went well, with the LOBV's Patrick Goetz doing a good job of presenting statistics. The audience voted against the helmet law proposal by a margin of 59-38. The Austin Cycling Association and its 1500 members voted to oppose this law.
According to the Travis County Health & Human Service Department, there is no statistically meaningful difference in the number of cycling fatalities and head injuries during the time helmets were universally mandatory and not. Contrast this with theBicycle Helmet Safety Institute's Randy Swart's claim of an 85% reduction in deaths when helmets are used.
For more information about this issue in Austin, Texas, see
The Austin City Council will hold a hearing tonight in a few moments to once again discuss mandatory helmets for all ages. Austin passed similar legislation in 1996, modifying the law a year and half later so that it now applies only to cyclists ages 17 and younger.
The League of Bicycling Voters in Austin has been campaigning hard to fight this legislation. According to the LOBV, helmet laws discourage cycling, distract attention from real bike safety initiatives, unfairly targets cyclists, give motorists who injure cyclists anonther excuse to escape liability, and give police another way to harass minorities on bicycles.
Former Mayor Bruce Todd, who champions the law, calls bicycling a "privilege" that requires special regulation, even though people have been riding bikes for hundreds of years without regulation. Bikes — with extremely rare exceptions — don’t kill or injure pedestrians or cause property damage.
According to LOBV founder Rob D'Amico, a public debate on this topic early in August went well, with the LOBV's Patrick Goetz doing a good job of presenting statistics. The audience voted against the helmet law proposal by a margin of 59-38. The Austin Cycling Association and its 1500 members voted to oppose this law.
According to the Travis County Health & Human Service Department, there is no statistically meaningful difference in the number of cycling fatalities and head injuries during the time helmets were universally mandatory and not. Contrast this with the
For more information about this issue in Austin, Texas, see
School bicycle policies
By Richard Masoner. 
Here's a concept: Parents riding to school with their children! Abernathy Elementary in SE Portland. Photo from BikePortland. A new school year begins for many children around the US, and with it battles to allow children to ride their bikes to school.
School officials in Lawrence, KS, reacted to the tragic death of a six-year-old by banning bikes and scooters for children under third grade. Many families who live very close to their schools are also effected, and the bicycle ban does not sit well with them at all. “We live right down the street. He can’t ride his bike down the trail if he wants to,” Dave Stevens said of his first-grade stepson.
The Bay City School District in Michigan now allows middle and high school students to ride to school, though they still don't allow elementary school students to ride. The policy for the older students was changed because of cuts in bus service. According to superintendent Carolyn Wierda, the policy also supports today's emphasis on healthier students and the need for more exercise.
Fifty years of transportation policies that favor the automobile over any other consideration -- including the safety of those outside of the metal cage -- have led to this situation where many children cannot walk or bike safely to their schools. Many communities with active cycling advocacy efforts have schools with policies that encourage cycling, and these groups also work for changes in local traffic to create safe routes to school for their children. If you live in a community that has recently banned human-powered transportation to school read this "How To" guide and case study from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to "Crack the Liability Lies in Walking and Biking to School." An important paradigm shift is occuring throughout the US regarding transportation planning and engineering, but many school board members and officials have missed this train. They need to be educated, and this education must be done by you.
Here's a concept: Parents riding to school with their children! Abernathy Elementary in SE Portland. Photo from BikePortland.
School officials in Lawrence, KS, reacted to the tragic death of a six-year-old by banning bikes and scooters for children under third grade. Many families who live very close to their schools are also effected, and the bicycle ban does not sit well with them at all. “We live right down the street. He can’t ride his bike down the trail if he wants to,” Dave Stevens said of his first-grade stepson.
The Bay City School District in Michigan now allows middle and high school students to ride to school, though they still don't allow elementary school students to ride. The policy for the older students was changed because of cuts in bus service. According to superintendent Carolyn Wierda, the policy also supports today's emphasis on healthier students and the need for more exercise.
Fifty years of transportation policies that favor the automobile over any other consideration -- including the safety of those outside of the metal cage -- have led to this situation where many children cannot walk or bike safely to their schools. Many communities with active cycling advocacy efforts have schools with policies that encourage cycling, and these groups also work for changes in local traffic to create safe routes to school for their children. If you live in a community that has recently banned human-powered transportation to school read this "How To" guide and case study from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to "Crack the Liability Lies in Walking and Biking to School." An important paradigm shift is occuring throughout the US regarding transportation planning and engineering, but many school board members and officials have missed this train. They need to be educated, and this education must be done by you.
SF Bay Area: AC Transit to offer WiFi on buses
The East Bay AC Transit is testing wireless internet equipment and plans to offer free WiFi on its Transbay bus routes by the end of the year. Only a handful of other public bus systems in the US provide WiFi, including transit operators in Seattle, Riverside, Cincinnati, Tampa and Cedar Rapids.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, the ACE Train between Stockton and San Jose and the Amtrak Capital Corridor that runs between Sacramento and San Jose offers free WiFi service to its passengers. Caltrain recently completed proof of concept testing and is looking for funding to implement free WiFi over the next year or two.
BART has no concrete plans for WiFi -- they're still trying to get cellphone service in the Transbay Tube.
Read more details in the San Francisco Chronicle.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, the ACE Train between Stockton and San Jose and the Amtrak Capital Corridor that runs between Sacramento and San Jose offers free WiFi service to its passengers. Caltrain recently completed proof of concept testing and is looking for funding to implement free WiFi over the next year or two.
BART has no concrete plans for WiFi -- they're still trying to get cellphone service in the Transbay Tube.
Read more details in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Yet another reason to bike: Moderately overweight = increased risk for early death
A recently released 10-year study of a half million Americans shows that the moderately overweight have a higher chance of dying earlier than those who are not overweight.
I was in that "moderately overweight" category a few years ago, but today I have a Body Mass Index of 23, probably due primarily to my cycling at least 50 miles a week. Cyclelicious applauds the efforts of the Amazing Shrinking Man who work to encourage daily activity for all of us to improve our health.
Related:
I was in that "moderately overweight" category a few years ago, but today I have a Body Mass Index of 23, probably due primarily to my cycling at least 50 miles a week. Cyclelicious applauds the efforts of the Amazing Shrinking Man who work to encourage daily activity for all of us to improve our health.
Related:
Segways banned in the UK
The UK Department of Transport banned Segways from all public roads and sidewalks in a new "Regulations for Self-Balancing Scooters." Via The Tech Chronicles.
Bicycle Fun Club founder Ted Curtis was recently named senior planner for the Non-Motorized Grant Program in Columbia, Missouri. Curtis, who founded Trailnet in 1988, has promoted bicycling and walking for over 20 years in Missouri. He will decide how the city should spend a $22 million federal grant for projects to promote walking and cycling.
Pedros redesigned their website and sent a press release to tell the world. Do they have a blog?
Cycling news
National Bicycle Dealer Association's 2006 Annual Bicycle Market Brief numbers are in. The results? Most bike shop dollars come from middle aged rich men. Here's the challenge from NBDA executive director Fred Clements: “If we don’t begin to look toward broadening our market to areas we don’t accommodate, what’s the future? We need to continue to work to get kids and women on quality bikes. There are a lot of areas that I think we can address because the boomers are on a timer.” The report has a ton of interesting information for statistics geeks like me. Most consumers who purchase a bike do so for recreational purposes (73 percent) and for fitness (53 percent) as opposed to racing (8 percent) and commuting (10 percent). That might explain why, according to the report, the majority of bike sales (60 percent) at IBDs and specialty stores are of bikes under $400—most of which are hybrids and cruisers. Internet and mail-order represent under 3 percent of total retail dollar sales, and under 1 percent of total unit sales. 77 percent of bikes are sold through the mass-merchant channel (discount retailers like Wal-Mart and Target).Bicycle Fun Club founder Ted Curtis was recently named senior planner for the Non-Motorized Grant Program in Columbia, Missouri. Curtis, who founded Trailnet in 1988, has promoted bicycling and walking for over 20 years in Missouri. He will decide how the city should spend a $22 million federal grant for projects to promote walking and cycling.
Pedros redesigned their website and sent a press release to tell the world. Do they have a blog?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Police officers killed in bicycle ride
2 dead, 3 injured during charity bike ride
Several off-duty police officers on a cross-state bicycle ride for charity were struck in a collision in western Indiana today, according to Indiana State Police. A box truck rear-ended a sag wagon, sending the smaller vehicle into the line of 10 riders. Two of the riders, including former Lake County (IL) Police Chief Gary Martin, were killed.
The collision occurred near Covington, Indiana, just north of the locally famous Beef House restaurant on the Indiana-Illinois border. According to local cyclists, the road is a four lane divided highway with light traffic, great sight lines and wide shoulders. The sag wagon had flashers on; it was a bright, sunny day on a straight flat highway.
The cyclists were participating in a 1,000 mile charity ride raising money to support families of police officers slain in the line of duty for Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors.
News coverage:
Several off-duty police officers on a cross-state bicycle ride for charity were struck in a collision in western Indiana today, according to Indiana State Police. A box truck rear-ended a sag wagon, sending the smaller vehicle into the line of 10 riders. Two of the riders, including former Lake County (IL) Police Chief Gary Martin, were killed.
The collision occurred near Covington, Indiana, just north of the locally famous Beef House restaurant on the Indiana-Illinois border. According to local cyclists, the road is a four lane divided highway with light traffic, great sight lines and wide shoulders. The sag wagon had flashers on; it was a bright, sunny day on a straight flat highway.
The cyclists were participating in a 1,000 mile charity ride raising money to support families of police officers slain in the line of duty for Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors.
News coverage:
Monday, August 21, 2006
Cycling advocacy on a roll
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has emerged as one of the most potent political forces in the city. With a paid membership of 5,800 and its top executive sitting on the board overseeing San Francisco's public transit, parking and traffic operations, the bike coalition is moving aggressively to enact its goal of making the streets of San Francisco a bicycling mecca "where cars are rare and travel slowly."Read more.
"The bike coalition is at the cutting edge of urban environmentalism. It reduces our reliance on foreign oil, cuts down pollution, helps ease traffic congestion and makes the city more livable," said Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, who represents the Richmond District in a famously liberal city where politicians work hard to put green-friendly credentials on their resumes.
Denver cyclists ride to make deals.
Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit that promotes bike riding in the state, has seen its membership jump by 35 percent from a year ago, up to 4,800 individuals and about 100 businesses.Read more in the Denver Post.
"With cycling, just like with golf, your ability to do business expands dramatically. By riding, I've created deals and I've closed deals," said Denver commercial real-estate broker Bob Whittelsey, who cycles with clients about twice each week.
"You really get to know someone when you're on a bike - you talk about business, family, the Broncos," said David Goldberg, a partner at Greenwood Village-based Alberta Development Partners. "For us it's a big investment to build these buildings, and we wouldn't put that with someone we didn't trust." The learning curve is easy because most people began riding bikes as children. The same can't be said of golf, which, Whittelsey says, "I'm crummy at."
Friday, August 18, 2006
"The Onion" Sums Up the Tour de France
The Onion has posted quite a few Tour de France highlights. Lance's chicken and descending skills are highlighted, as well as McEwan's non-carbon bike upgrades.
Must motorists follow the same rules as cyclists?
Q: If motor vehicles are riding on the streets, must they obey the same traffic laws that bicycles have to follow? I've seen numerous motor vehicles blast down streets over the speed limit; and fail to look before making turns, much less signal before doing so.From Claire, who was inspired by similar questions in numerous newspaper columns about traffic and driving.
A: Yes, motorists are required to follow the same rules of the road as cyclists.
Cycling news
Spy photos of Shimano's components for commuter bikes.Bicycle ambulances in developing countries.
Cycledog teaches bicycle education in Tulsa Public Schools; excellent!
Product recall: Target brand scooters because parts might break off. I thought that was pretty much normal for any $20 push scooter bought from discount retailers.
Team Phonak is no more, just in case you haven't heard already.
Interbike is only a month away. Who's going?
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Post-and-ring bicycle parking vulnerability
Photo info: Where's my bike? by Brad the sometimes good photographer.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Nice trials video
I don't know the context or where it's from, but there's some pretty good trials riding in this video with minimal bouncing in the style of Ryan Leech's Manifesto. Via Blue Collar MTB
Here's a nice photo essay on the bicycle in Japan. Via Velorution.
Market research company International Cycle Works changes its name to Boulder Sports Research. Owner Thomas Prehn does market research by conducting surveys and focus groups in Boulder, Colorado.
This treadmill bike video is making the rounds. The funny thing is that many folks don't seem to realize that it's a joke. Other creatively excellent frankenbike projects from Bike Forest include the Couch Bike and Hula Bike.
See also
Trials riding in a Palm Treo: Bike or Die! Mobile video game.Here's a nice photo essay on the bicycle in Japan. Via Velorution.
Market research company International Cycle Works changes its name to Boulder Sports Research. Owner Thomas Prehn does market research by conducting surveys and focus groups in Boulder, Colorado.
This treadmill bike video is making the rounds. The funny thing is that many folks don't seem to realize that it's a joke. Other creatively excellent frankenbike projects from Bike Forest include the Couch Bike and Hula Bike.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Blogging lawyers
My employer's CEO is one of only a handful who blogs. And last week, the head lawyer started blogging. Can a laywer be transparent?
Even in the cycling industry there are only a handful of folks who blog. Masi, Sock Guy, Surly, Terry, and Cannondale are among some of the cycling companies that have a blog presence of some type.
Notably absent are the biggies in the industry such as Trek, Giant, and Specialized. Specialized, in particular, hired a PR firm for a viral marketing effort, but even here they failed to make much of splash beyond mention in a few specialized (heh heh) advertising journals.
If a Fortune 500 company executives can blog, why not some bicycle companies?
De-motorize your soul. Via Bicycle Urbana-Champaign.
Even in the cycling industry there are only a handful of folks who blog. Masi, Sock Guy, Surly, Terry, and Cannondale are among some of the cycling companies that have a blog presence of some type.
Notably absent are the biggies in the industry such as Trek, Giant, and Specialized. Specialized, in particular, hired a PR firm for a viral marketing effort, but even here they failed to make much of splash beyond mention in a few specialized (heh heh) advertising journals.
If a Fortune 500 company executives can blog, why not some bicycle companies?
Elsewhere
Those interested in traffic safety may appreciate this story about a judge who sentences teen traffic infractors to ride the bus.De-motorize your soul. Via Bicycle Urbana-Champaign.
2nd Annual Labor Day Alleycat food drive
It's an alleycat that's also a charity ride.
This Alleycat in Rochester, MN is a little different from most. Riders are given a manifest with a list of items to purchase from various local grocery stores. First rider back with all items and their receipts is the winner.
Winners will get prizes from Masi, Rochester Cycling & Fitness, Chicago WIG, One Less Car, iHeartBikes, Island Triathlon & Bike, and TheBikeBiz.
Show up 9 a.m. on September 4, 2006 at Central Park in Rochester, Minnesota,, with a bike, a bag and about $20 in cash to purchase your items. Food will all be donated to the Channel One Food Bank.
Event organizer Gunnar Soroos asks you to spread the word!
This Alleycat in Rochester, MN is a little different from most. Riders are given a manifest with a list of items to purchase from various local grocery stores. First rider back with all items and their receipts is the winner.
Winners will get prizes from Masi, Rochester Cycling & Fitness, Chicago WIG, One Less Car, iHeartBikes, Island Triathlon & Bike, and TheBikeBiz.
Show up 9 a.m. on September 4, 2006 at Central Park in Rochester, Minnesota,, with a bike, a bag and about $20 in cash to purchase your items. Food will all be donated to the Channel One Food Bank.
Event organizer Gunnar Soroos asks you to spread the word!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Justice for Toronto bike thief
680 News Radio:
A 16-year-old boy is in hospital after allegedly being beaten by a man who caught him trying to steal his bike.Read more.
Bike route: Scotts Valley to Los Gatos, California
I rode 47 miles from Scotts Valley, CA (in Santa Cruz County) to San Jose, CA. This map shows my route from Scotts Valley to Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, a distance of 30 miles. The elevation profile shows me starting at 500 feet, climbing to about 800 feet, dropping down to nearly sea level, climb to 500+ feet, drop back down, and then another climb to 1800 feet elevation on Summit Road.
To continue to downtown San Jose, I rode the Los Gatos Creek Trail to its terminus at Meridian Avenue near I-280 in San Jose. From Meridian, I rode San Carlos Street into downtown San Jose, then backtracked a few blocks on Almaden and Santa Clara to San Jose Diridon Station. I had to wait an hour for the Highway 17 Express Bus, so I cruised another six miles through San Jose, stopping to buy drinks, food, and a newspaper for the bus trip home.
To continue to downtown San Jose, I rode the Los Gatos Creek Trail to its terminus at Meridian Avenue near I-280 in San Jose. From Meridian, I rode San Carlos Street into downtown San Jose, then backtracked a few blocks on Almaden and Santa Clara to San Jose Diridon Station. I had to wait an hour for the Highway 17 Express Bus, so I cruised another six miles through San Jose, stopping to buy drinks, food, and a newspaper for the bus trip home.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Bonking benefits you
Exercise researcher Dr. Bente Klarlund Pedersen claims that it may be beneficial to bonk regularly in training. She makes the case that endurance athletes "stand to gain greater fitness by performing some of their workouts in a glycogen-depleted state than by trying to perform all of their workouts in a glycogen-replete state." What happens is that training in a glycogen depleted state -- bonking -- triggers adaptations in the muscles to make you stronger when you compete. You want to, of course, compete with glycogen in your system.
So when Floyd bonked in Stage 16, that made in stronger for his Stage 17 comeback. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Read more in this Active.com article. Via Missouri Bicycle Federation.
So when Floyd bonked in Stage 16, that made in stronger for his Stage 17 comeback. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Read more in this Active.com article. Via Missouri Bicycle Federation.
Why do track cyclists trackstand?
Masi Guy posted a followup to this trackstand video by explaining why track racers trackstand.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Doping and the Prisoner's Dilemma
Update: Kenneth Norton provides good commentary on game theory and doping in sports.
Computer geeks like me are into game theory, and in game theory, the prisoner's dilemma is a type of non-zero-sum game in which two players try to get rewards by cooperating with or betraying the other player. In this game, as in all game theory, the only concern of each individual player is trying to maximize his own advantage, without any concern for the well-being of the other players. This scenario is called the Prisoner's Dilemma because it was originally framed in the context of two prisoners who are seperated and each offered a deal. If both prisoner's stay silent, they both go free. If one prisoner rats the other out, however, the snitch goes free while the other goes to prison.
Similarly, in sport competition, athlete's would rather not use drugs, but they know that the other guy will use drugs, and hence he feels he must also in order to compete "fairly."
Bruce Schneir is a computer security expert whose blog I follow. He writes in much more detail in doping in professional sports.
Computer geeks like me are into game theory, and in game theory, the prisoner's dilemma is a type of non-zero-sum game in which two players try to get rewards by cooperating with or betraying the other player. In this game, as in all game theory, the only concern of each individual player is trying to maximize his own advantage, without any concern for the well-being of the other players. This scenario is called the Prisoner's Dilemma because it was originally framed in the context of two prisoners who are seperated and each offered a deal. If both prisoner's stay silent, they both go free. If one prisoner rats the other out, however, the snitch goes free while the other goes to prison.
Similarly, in sport competition, athlete's would rather not use drugs, but they know that the other guy will use drugs, and hence he feels he must also in order to compete "fairly."
Bruce Schneir is a computer security expert whose blog I follow. He writes in much more detail in doping in professional sports.
Outlaw In Lycra
The other video, "Happy Entrails," features a happy Stumpjumper rider. He enjoys his ride so much that he smiles through it all in spite of disembowelments, a lightning strike, and fire.
Check it out: Specialized Movies.
Longmont Bike Night Blog
Longmont, Colorado's kindler, gentler version of a Critical Mass now has a blog. Riders meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Roosevelt Park in Longmont, Colorado for a casual ride for casual people on casual bikes wearing casual clothes. Longmont Bike Night photos here.
REI pledged $10 to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition for each bicycle parked at the grand opening of its new store in Mountain View, California, with a cap of $5000. Volunteers parked 594 bicycles at the 3-day grand opening this last weekend, so the SVBC will receive the $5000 maximum amount. If you're looking for a fund-raising idea for your bike organization, bicycle parking can be a good way to raise funds.
Heather does Brighton on a bike.
Bikes Belong will award $40,000 in grants to five bicycling projects in the United States. Read BRaIN for details on facilities and education projects that will receive this money.
79 82 Dozens and dozens of blogs link to the story at BikePortland.org about the Portland brakeless fixie ruling in traffic court. Some of the funner reactions are these sticky 'brakes' and a t-shirt from Sacramento.
50 Los Angeles residents receive free bikes in Bicycling Magazine's "Bike Town" project.
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Bikes and cars can get along in traffic.
Cycling lawyer Bob Mionske gives the straight dope on the Landis case.
UK judge says "Get off the road!" But the police are also ticketing sidewalk cyclists.
Spanish Inquisition.
Big Jon (aka the infamous Drunk Cyclist) hit-and-run at 55 mph! (not a family-friendly link). Via BCMTB.
Bicycle news roundup
Heather does Brighton on a bike.
Bikes Belong will award $40,000 in grants to five bicycling projects in the United States. Read BRaIN for details on facilities and education projects that will receive this money.
50 Los Angeles residents receive free bikes in Bicycling Magazine's "Bike Town" project.
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Bikes and cars can get along in traffic.
Cycling lawyer Bob Mionske gives the straight dope on the Landis case.
UK judge says "Get off the road!" But the police are also ticketing sidewalk cyclists.
Spanish Inquisition.
Big Jon (aka the infamous Drunk Cyclist) hit-and-run at 55 mph! (not a family-friendly link). Via BCMTB.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Video: Police chase cyclist through traffic
Update: It's fake. Still fun to watch.
This is amazing. Police chase a cyclist through city traffic on a busy highway. See this news video from a traffic helicopter to see how it ends.
Cyclelicious Cycling Blog.
Bicycle safety and education in Utah
- Policeman riding bikes as decoys watch for drivers who are speeding, crowding cyclists, and failing to yield at stop signs and red lights. Citations are issued to the law-breakers, along with information packets about safe driving around cyclists.
- The Utah Department of Transportation partners with schools to provide safe cycling courses for students and their parents, using League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructors.
- The Utah Department of Health recently completed a 12 minute video on bicycle safety to distribute to drivers education classes. "We can start to change the attitude motorists may develop so they can become more respectful and understand that bicyclists have the right to the road," says Theron Jeppson, UDOH pedestrian/bicycle safety coordinator.
More info at the Salt Lake City Bike Collective.
A Six-Minute Trackstand
YouTube seems to be a great place to find cycling videos (as well as thousands/millions of others), and a truly amazing video is the following:
It takes skill to do a trackstand on a velodrome, but for six-minutes? That's truly amazing. It's only a matter of time before American racing gets to the point of six-day races where it's more of a party then a sporting event. It almost appears as if a concert is taking place at the race in this video.
It takes skill to do a trackstand on a velodrome, but for six-minutes? That's truly amazing. It's only a matter of time before American racing gets to the point of six-day races where it's more of a party then a sporting event. It almost appears as if a concert is taking place at the race in this video.
Monday, August 7, 2006
How to build a ski bike
Noah Koerper gives detailed instructions to build a ski bike in Dirt Rag magazine. This is by far one of the simplest designs for a DIY ski bicycle that I've seen.
The ski bike is not even remotely safe to build, ride, or even stand next to. Many early versions of the ski bike failed miserably, and just because this one�s stayed intact so far, doesn�t mean that yours is going to. So make sure all of your bolts are tight and your life insurance is up to date.
"10,000 in 2010" Volunteer Stewardship Challenge
IMBA and REI have targeted "10,000 Volunteer Days Annually in 2010" as the goal for a powerful new initiative, the REI/IMBA Volunteer Stewardship Challenge. The objective: boost volunteerism in the mountain biking community - which is already highly commendable - and do a better job recording and sharing those achievements with others.
Along the way to the goal of recording 10,000 volunteer days during the year 2010, the campaign aims to hit important benchmarks: 3,000 recorded volunteer days this year, and 5,000 days during 2007. These numbers are not cumulative - they reflect the number of volunteer workdays to be logged each year.
REI is contributing to the campaign by funding the development of free toolkits for select clubs and patrols, and by supporting new online resources at imba.com that will enable groups to log their volunteer efforts. "REI is committed to supporting stewardship and volunteerism," says David Jayo, REI corporate giving manager. "Programs like this give people the tools they need to care for the places we all enjoy."
IMBA's Executive Director Mike Van Abel believes the 10,000 in 2010 campaign will significantly advance the sport of mountain bicycling. "IMBA-affiliated clubs, patrols and individual members pitch in thousands of hours every year caring for the trails. While our record of service is tremendous, we've haven't done enough to catalogue the hours and days of service we compile. This campaign is going to help us share our achievements with land managers and key decision makers."
Visit the 10,000 in 2010 resources at imba.com for much more information about this exciting program.
Photo info: Memorial Park Triangle Work Party Day 1 by GHORBA.
Project Honeypot
Project Honeypot uses thousands of volunteers (including Cyclelicious) to identify spammers and spambots. The project creates fake and unique email addresses that are scraped from Project Honeyport participating websites. When spam is sent to these bait addresses, the email address is matched to whichever bot scraped the address so that the IP addresses of the scrapers become known. If your website supports any of a number of server-side scripting languages (e.g. PHP, Perl, Python, ASP, MovableType), I encourage you to sign up and add your site as a honey pot.
Sunday, August 6, 2006
Tour of California prints
Is anybody aware of other resources where Jackie can order Tour of California prints?
Photo info: Tour of California Stages 5 & 6 2006 by lajollaseal.
Friday, August 4, 2006
Floyd Landis blog
Update: Thanks for visiting in your search for Floyd Landis articles. View related articles about Floyd Landis here. The Floyd Landis Blog is at www.floydlandis.com/blog.
Floyd Landis provided a statement on his blog announcing his innocence in the drug scandal and asking his fans to "keep the faith." According to Floyd, although the testosterone-epitestosterone ratio was skewed, the actual absolute level of his testosterone was in the normal range. His epitestosterone was unusually low, causing the suspiciously abnormal 11/1 ratio.
Floyd also expresses concern about the information leaks from the UCI in what should remain a private matter until the test results are final.
Read more at the Floyd Landis Blog. Via TdF Blog.
Floyd Landis provided a statement on his blog announcing his innocence in the drug scandal and asking his fans to "keep the faith." According to Floyd, although the testosterone-epitestosterone ratio was skewed, the actual absolute level of his testosterone was in the normal range. His epitestosterone was unusually low, causing the suspiciously abnormal 11/1 ratio.
Floyd also expresses concern about the information leaks from the UCI in what should remain a private matter until the test results are final.
Read more at the Floyd Landis Blog. Via TdF Blog.
Turn signals on your ears
Buy Indicatears for £3.95 from Ministry of Gadgets in the UK. Via Coolest Gadgets.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Kids Ride Free on BART
More details about Kids Ride Free are here. Bikes are generally allowed on BART trains.
Photo info: Kids Ride Free on BART by richardmasoner.
Free stolen bike registry
Here's a new stolen bike registry for six U.S. cities: stolen-bikes.org. Currently, this stolen bike registry covers the cities of Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.
Justin, creator of stolen-bikes.org, told me a little about himself and the site.
Being an avid cyclist frequently riding in Philadelphia, I know that stolen bikes are pretty much a fact of life. I toyed with the idea for a site to tackle this issue for a while and just recently decided to act on it. I wanted to make sure I had a user-friendly and community-like atmosphere to the site. Instead of just adding your listing to a database and forgetting about it, people can follow up to your listing with comments and leads or start a whole thread on your listing in the forums.Justin is a fixed-gear and singlespeed guy. "I've owned several fixed gears and looking to build my first singlespeed. There's just something about the simplicity of these machines that keeps me wanting more and more of them."
We have a comprehensive bike theft handout being created as we speak. This handout will address the best locks and locking techniques available on the market.
Stolen-bikes.org is as much our site as it is yours. Although we are stolen bike specific with our blog posts we encourage people from every city to take advantage of the forums to network a stronger cycling community. We also gladly accept relevant articles, events, and notices exclusive to your city all accredited to the author of course.
Photo info: saddest bike in world no. 2 by only alice.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Bike mechanic/teacher wanted for Santa Cruz Harbor High School
Harbor High School in Santa Cruz, CA will start a bike mechanic class this fall, but they still need a qualified teacher! According to Berri Michel of sponsoring bike shop Bicycle Trip, "We are still negotiating the wages and hours as what I posted is not working for interested and qualified mechanics. Resumes must be in by August 5th. We are conducting interviews August 1st thru 10th. Job starts Aug 15th. School starts Aug 30th."
Bike shop @ school class description.
How many yams must you eat to trigger a false positive?
The breakthrough in identifying synthetic testosterone -- made from extracts of yams and soybeans -- is one more example of how drug testers are using advances in technology to close in on cheats. "They use this very exotic and specific test, and it doesn't tell any lies," said John Brennan, group director of clinical development at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, which manufacturers a testosterone gel.
Pharmaceutical companies use plant extract to manufacture synthetic testosterone because it is less expensive than reconstructing the human hormone. The UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory has gone as far as to prepare for the I-ate-yams-for-dinner defense -- figuring out how many it would take to trigger a positive test. Don Catlin of UCLA declined to divulge the number. "I'm sure we will see it used, but they won't get too far," he said.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Free Floyd Landis
"Floydinator" by Eric Reagan. Used with permission. The discussion is among what seem to be people who know something about doping and testing. Found via VelociPete.
Life in the bicycle lane
The League of American Bicyclists has released a video to promote Safe Routes to School. You can use this four minute video to present Safe Routes to your local school board, PTA, city council, or city planners. Cash and resources are available in every U.S. state, but local champions are needed to start the ball rolling in your community. Watch and download the video here. Discover more about Safe Routes to School and find local resources and your state contact at the National Center for Safe Routes to School. If you have a Safe Routes success story to share I would love to hear about it.
Remember the SMU law professor who deliberately ran over a cyclist in May 2004? She was tried and convicted of aggravated assault in the attack. An Texas state appeals court recently overturned Jane Dolkan's conviction. It's apparently open season in Dallas for cyclists. Update: As noted in Heidi's comment, it's Jane Dolkart. More details in the Dallas Morning News.
If nitrogen seeps out more slowly than oxygen, then eventually the air in your tires will approach 100% nitrogen, right?
Lance Armstrong announces he'll race the 2007 Tour de France, overcoming yet more debilitating injuries than Floyd in his bid to win number eight. Via.
Denver to cyclists: slow down!
Denver police begin enforcing the 15 mph speed limit for bicyclists inside Washington Park today. The perimeter road -- closed to motor vehicles -- is heavily used by all types of park users.
The cyclists interviewed by the Denver Post and 9 News seem to disagree with me, but I believe this enforcement is a good move. Cyclists wanting to go fast should get away from crowded paths and trails and get out on the open road, where they belong. The arguments presented by these cyclists sound a lot like the self-centered "Get of the road" sentiments expressed by anti-cycling motorists.
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