Administrator and author of Biking Bis. Currently live in the Seattle area; previously Texas, California, Maryland, Georgia and Ohio. Own a Lemond road bike for light riding and Rockhopper for poor weather riding and touring.

Most commented posts

  1. How to enforce 3-foot passing law to protect bicyclists — 51 comments
  2. Washington state lists parks with bike/hike campsites — 20 comments
  3. 10 longest rail-trails for bicycling — John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Washington leads the list — 19 comments
  4. Indiana town says “No” to bicycle tourism — 18 comments
  5. Are bike path bollards an unnecessary hazard? — 17 comments

Author's posts

School’s alcohol policy forces major bike tour to change plans

An island community in Maine will miss out on the economic windfall created by a major bicycle tour because alcoholic beverages aren’t allowed on school property, even for a non-school event.

Velo Quebec plans to bring 1,400 to 2,000 recreational cyclists to Maine for a week-long, 600-mile bicycle tour of the state. The GrandTour Desjardins is the group’s major event of the year.

As you can see from the video, the cyclists like to ride hard then go about the business of some serious relaxation. Clips show wine bottles on tables…

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/27/schools-alcohol-policy-forces-major-bike-tour-to-change-plans/

Lance Armstrong doping story still makes headlines

In the month since Lance Armstrong said “enough is enough” and dropped his fight against the US Anti-Doping Agency’s case against him, there have been some interesting sidebars stemming from the case.

As Hunter Thompson once wrote: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

Given Armstrong’s celebrity status and past achievements (which have been dismissed), it’s no wonder this story refuses to die. Here are some stories that have struck me in the past month:

Death threats against Tom Tygart — …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/26/lance-armstrong-doping-story-still-makes-headlines/

Specialized recalling 12,000 Globe model bicycles

Specialized is warning consumers to stop riding Globe bicycles they might have bought over the past five years because the front fork steering tube can break.

The Morgan Hill, California-based company has received four reports of front forks breaking, causing face, head and shoulder injuries.

The Specialized 2008 and 2009 Globe bicycles use Kinesis aluminum …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/25/specialized-recalling-12000-globe-model-bicycles/

Final Bicycle Sunday for 2012 in Seattle; Burning Man trike

The string of a dozen Bicycle Sundays in 2012 ended on a glorious sunny fall day in Seattle.

A steady stream of bicyclists — everyone from the hard-core cyclists to biking tots with their families — showed up on Lake Washington Boulevard on Sunday to ride without having to worry about cars. That’s because motor vehicles were banned for the day between Seward Park and Mount Baker Beach.

What really struck me, however, was the appearance of the MOOP Jet, a fanciful trike that might seem more at home at Burning Man, where it has made a couple of landings.

The hand-crafted vehicle is the creation of Clair Colquitt …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/24/bicycle-sundays-for-2012-in-seattle-moop-jet-trike-visits/

Bicyclist dies in collision in Snohomish County (WA) (UPDATE)


View Brier bicyclist fatality in a larger map

Snohomish Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the death of a bicyclist in the Brier area after a collision with a pickup truck.

Few details are available in the death of a 24-year-old Lynnwood resident who died at the scene of the collision, near the intersection of Barker and Atlas roads. …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/23/bicyclist-dies-in-collision-in-snohomish-county-wa/

Bellevue (WA) seeks to close “missing link” for bicycle riders

You hear a lot about the “missing link” on the Burke Gilman Trail, but there’s also a “missing link” in the Mountains to Sound Greenway trail as it passes through the Eastgate and Factoria sections of Bellevue.

The city of Bellevue is presenting its latest conceptual design plans to close that link with a 3.6-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail on the south side of Interstate 90 on Wednesday.

The city staff is inviting feedback on its planned route. You can see the general layout of the proposed trail, proposed cross sections and other designs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 26) at Saint Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 2650 148th Ave. SE.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/21/bellevue-wa-seeks-to-close-missing-link-for-bicycle-riders/

On video: Motorist harasses cyclists in Colorado

The Colorado State Patrol is now investigating this incident on Sunday in which the driver of a white SUV harassed a couple of cyclists east of Longmont, Colorado, for more than five minutes.

I have to give credit to the cyclists for keeping their cool, not allowing the situation to escalate, and catching the whole thing on video.

According to news reports, Dirk Friel and his friend were out for a bike ride this past Sunday when the motorist came up behind them and started blaring his horn. It’s a narrow road with no shoulder ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/19/on-video-motorist-harasses-cyclists-in-colorado/

UK judge excuses bait bike thief, criticizes police

Imagine this English judge carefully placing his wig on a shelf and hanging his robe in the closet after work, then discovering that the bicycle he was going to ride home had been stolen.

Maybe he’d see bike theft differently.

Instead, judge Peter Hughes recently criticized police in northwest England’s Cumbria county for putting out …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/18/uk-judge-excuses-bait-bike-thief-criticizes-police/

Raise money for Cascade by riding your bike: CLIF-Bar Challenge

Here’s something I wish I had acted on earlier.

The Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation is the beneficiary of the CLIF Bar 2-mile Challenge in September. That means the foundation’s operations can receive up to $10,000 from CLIF Bar by the end of the month.

The exact amount depends on how many bicycle trips are logged at the CLIF Bar 2-mile Challenge website. For every trip, Cascade’s education foundation receives $1. Unfortunately, the tally doesn’t start until you sign up at the 2-mile Challenge website and start logging your rides…..

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/16/raise-money-for-cascade-by-riding-your-bike-clif-bar-challenge/

Trail news: Middle Fork Snoqualmie gets funding

The Mountains to Sound Greenway was happy to announce last week that it received a $150,000 grant from Waste Management to make improvements in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley.

One of the big draws to that area in the rugged mountains north of the Interstate 90 corridor is the Middle Fork Trail, which is used by mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians.

The Middle Fork Trail starts about 12 miles east of North Bend on the western slopes of the Cascades. I happened to visit the trail on Thursday and was amazed that such a wild area …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/09/16/trail-news-middle-fork-snoqualmie-gets-funding/