Category: Bike Touring

Outer Banks businesses benefit from bicycle paths and lanes

Occasionally I'll stumble across reports that study whether the costs of building bike paths or bike lanes justify the expenditures of public funds.

In all cases, the bike facilities pay for themselves. And not just for increased health and safety of users, but in cold hard cash for businesses.

For instance, a report entitled “Bikeways to Prosperity” looked at whether $6.7 million worth of state and local spending for an extensive network of bicycle facilities on the Outer Banks of North Carolina was justified.

The study, researched in 2003 and published in 2004, found that a conservative estimate of 40,800 visitors a year vacationed …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/10/09/outer-banks-businesses-benefit-from-bicycle-paths-and-lanes/

Long distance charity bike rides still going strong this fall

Bicyclists in the Midwest, Southeast and Pacific Northwest are still rolling out on  long-distance cancer charity bicycle fund-raising rides in October.

It's a reminder that in addition to transportation, recreation, and sport, bicycles also have become a major form of philanthropy.

The longest charity ride is Pablove Across America, a 1,425-mile trek from Milwaukee to New Orleans.

Led by Jeff Castelaz, the Milwaukee native hopes the cyclists can raise $500,000 ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/10/07/long-distance-charity-bike-rides-still-going-strong-this-fall/

Four grants support U.S. Bicycle Route System

The proposed 50,000-mile network of bicycle byways called the US Bicycle Route System is getting a $100,000 boost.

The Adventure Cycling Association announced it has procured grants from four foundations to continue its work on the USBRS.

The nonprofit bike touring association has been coordinating efforts to create the bike route system that will connect common destinations for travelers, such as cities and national landmarks.

So far, volunteers and state highway staff in 41 states are working to bring the bicycle routes to life.

They're looking for the most bicycle-friendly roads …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/10/05/four-grants-support-u-s-bicycle-route-system/

Easton to Cle Elum: Bicycling the John Wayne Pioneer Trail where railroading is remembered

Although the John Wayne Pioneer Trail is a rail-trail well-suited for bicycling, the trail head at South Cle Elum is certainly a draw for railroad enthusiasts.

The large rail yard built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in the early 1900s is preserved there, and a few buildings remain intact. Pedaling into town on the rail-trail gave me a slow-motion idea of the scene witnessed by locomotive engineers.

Lately I've been bicycling different sections of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail east of the Snoqualmie Tunnel. While I don't have the opportunity for a nice through-trip …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/10/03/easton-to-cle-elum-bicycling-the-john-wayne-pioneer-trail-where-railroading-is-remembered/

Record turnout for Levi Leipheimer gran fondo; 3 airlifted with serious injuries

A record 7,500 bicyclists rolled out for the Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge Gran Fondo on Saturday in a ride that unfortunately was marred by three serious injuries.

Police said that wet pavement may have been a factor in both crashes that occurred on winding roads on a particularly hilly section near the Pacific Coast in Sonoma County.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports Kristin Rossi, 43, of Hillsborough was injured in a solo crash at 11:43 a.m.  An hour later at about the same location …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/10/02/record-turnout-for-levi-leipheimer-gran-fondo-3-airlifted-with-serious-injuries/

Bicyclists ride for Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornado victims

A dozen bicyclists are riding across the South to raise money for tornado relief in the cities of Joplin and Tuscaloosa.

Those two cities were devastated by severe tornadoes that took the lives of 51 people in Tuscaloosa on April 27 and 162 in Joplin on May 22.

The 12 on the Present: Hope Tour bicycle ride are aiming to raise $100,000 as they pedal ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/09/30/bicyclists-ride-for-joplin-and-tuscaloosa-tornado-victims/

How serious is urban pollution for bicyclists?

Here's an irony if you commute by bicycle through city streets to improve your health:

A research paper says London bicycle commuters have 2.3-times more black carbon — soot — in their lungs than their pedestrian counterparts.

Bicyclists have long assumed they might be inhaling a little urban pollution when a bus passes by or they get stuck behind a fume-belching delivery van at a stop light.

Now the London-based researchers have put a number on it in a paper presented …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/09/28/how-serious-is-urban-pollution-for-bicyclists/

Cycle Oregon volunteer still missing after two weeks

Bicyclists will gather for a bike ride this weekend in Portland to help raise awareness about the heart-wrenching disappearance of a Cycle Oregon volunteer two weekends ago.

Mark Bosworth, 54, was last seen leaving a tent area in the host city of Riddle the evening of Sept. 16. He was reported missing the next morning after his tent was empty.

At the time, friends said Bosworth appeared disoriented at times and complained of headaches, although he responded he was “just fine.”

Details about his disappearance and search efforts can be found at FindMark.org. Also, check out the FindMark Facebook page.

Cycling luminaries Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong recently helped spread the word …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/09/28/cycle-oregon-volunteer-still-missing-after-two-weeks/

Chicago is next to jump on bike-share bus

Close on the heels of New York City, Chicago has become the next big American city to announce plans to launch a bike share system.

Officials there say a bike rental program using 3,000 bicycles at 300 stations will be launched next summer. An operator and bike-maker still need to be chosen, as well as the areas of the city that will be served.

The bike-share system will start out smaller than the 10,000-bike proposal announced recently for New York City ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/09/22/chicago-is-next-to-jump-on-bike-share-bus/

Inaugural issue of free BicycleTraveler ezine available now

A new bicycle touring magazine that collects the best bike travel stories and photos from across the globe is available just one click away.

The free and non-commercial “BicycleTraveler, An International Magazine on Bicycle Touring,” is a digital e-zine launched this month.

Using the work of the best bicycle writers and photographers, the magazine is published by experienced bike traveler Grace Johnson.

She and Paul Jeurissen have been traveling the globe for years on their bicycles, sharing their stories and photos at the blog “Bicycling around the world, In search of inspiring cycle images.”

The launch of the magazine itself is a lesson in what traveling bicyclists can accomplish while on the road. Grace writes ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/09/21/inaugural-issue-of-free-bicycletraveler-ezine-available-now/