Category: Bike travel
It's never too soon to start planning for a major bike ride next year.
Although cross-country bike travel isn't in the cards for me, I started checking into self-contained or fully supported coast-to-coast bike tours that are offered in 2010.
Here a a few that I stumbled across that are being offered by non-profits or as fund-raisers for charitable causes. The rides are targeted for everyone from college students to women over 50.
I'll update the 2010 Cross-country Bike Travel page for more rides as I come across them. ……
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/11/06/bakers-dozen-cross-country-bike-tours-offered-in-2010/
Bike travelers on the Great Allegheny Passage pump about $40 million a year into the local economies and $7.5 million into wages along the 132-mile rail-to-trail from Cumberland, Maryland, to the outskirts of Pittsburgh.
Those are the not-so-surprising findings of the Great Allegheny Passage Economic Impact Study conducted in 2008 and 2009.
The report once again proves the “build-it-and-they-will-come” relationship between trails, bicyclists, and profitability to businesses in the vicinity, especially those that cater to bike travel.
Some of the major findings of the study:
— The $40 million was more than five times the impact of $7.26 million in 2001, when the Passage links had not yet been connected;
— On average, businesses attributed 25% of their sales to trail users …..
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/11/05/rail-to-trail-bike-travel-provides-economic-stimulus/
Bikers' cabin, Virginia
circa 1984Here are the latest and final election results. Trust me. There will be no charges of mudslinging or requests for recounts.
I'm talking about the results from the Bicycle Travel Award contest hosted by Adventure Cycling Association, the nonprofit that has developed 38,000 miles of bike routes criss-crossing the US.
The folks named below were nominated by some of you. The individuals were chosen for making the on-the-road lives of bike travelers easier and their work in furthering the enjoyment of bicycle touring.
The June Curry Trail Angel Award goes to Bill and Nancy Nix of Knox, North Dakota …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/11/04/adventure-cycling-names-bicycle-travel-award-winners/
If you're planning a bike vacation to Oregon, you'll certainly want to include a stop at the Oregon Tourism Commission's Ride Oregon website.
I just stumbled across this resource recently and was amazed at the amount of bicycling information that's packed into the website.
There are some pretty pictures displayed on this big budget website, but there is also lots of solid, up-to-date information about bike travel in the state.
That's no wonder, when you see the steering committee and the contributors, which includes Jonathan Maus of BikePortland.org, Scott Bricker at Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the staff at Cycle Oregon …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/30/visit-ride-oregon-website-to-plan-bike-vacation/
A scenic auto tour through Washington, Idaho and British Columbia is seeing new life as a 280-mile bicycle touring route.
The International Selkirk Loop links the small towns and recreation spots at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains. Because the route follows river and lake valleys, the grades are gentle to moderate with only a few steep climbs.
The newly published “A Cyclist's Guide to the International Selkirk Loop” includes 52 route and elevation maps divided into 50 to 70-mile sections. In addition to the 280-mile main loop, the bike tour maps include six side trips encompassing another 450 miles of riding …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/07/bike-tour-maps-published-for-northwests-selkirk-loop/
The National Park Service is proposing regulation changes to allow bicyclists to use pathways at the Big Bend National Park in Texas and the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
The National Parks Traveler blog says that the Big Bend proposal is controversial, while the Grand Teton regulations aren't.
What's stirring up the hornet's nest at Big Bend is a proposal to build a 5-mile long paved path for pedestrians and bicyclists. The loop would start near the Panther Junction visitor center and the desert while affording scenic views of nearby mountains.
The Traveler blogger says some are questioning whether hikers would find it safe to use the trail with the faster-paced cyclists. Others are asking why a trail is needed for bicyclists ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/06/bike-access-proposals-at-two-national-parks/
The Adventure Cycling Association is looking for photos that “capture the beauty and wonder” of bike travel for its 1st Annual Bicycle Travel Photo Contest.
The non-profit's blog also says:
“We are especially interested in images that showcase the wide range of bike touring experiences: road and dirt riding, rural and urban settings, scenery, people and their emotions.”
The winning image will be printed in the March 2010 issue of Adventure Cycling magazine and be featured on the Adventure Cycling website ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/06/photo-contests-adventure-cycling-and-alliance-for-biking-walking/
The latest Ken Burns documentary, “The National Parks: America's Best Idea,” began airing on PBS on Sunday. It got me thinking about how the parks are wonderful destinations for bike touring.
The traffic at some of the most popular ones can be daunting; Yellowstone National Park warns about narrow roads and non-existent shoulders.
But in spite of cars and campers, bicycling up to the rim of the Grand Canyon, left, is an experience I'll never forget.
Here are links to some stories I've written over the years about bicycling in the national parks. There are stories about the best parks for bicycling, spring cycling in high-elevation parks, and a new bike route map from Adventure Cycling Association that will visit a half-dozen national parks in the Pacific Crest.
“10 best national parks for bicycling” — August 3, 2009:
National parks might seem like natural destinations for family car trips or RV excursions, but they also have many factors that make them ideal for bicycle travel. ..
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/28/bike-travel-and-our-national-park-system/
It has been a sad few days along the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail between Cumberland and Pittsburgh.
Maynard Sembower, the man known locally as the “trail ambassador extraordinaire” and “number one volunteer”, passed away last Wednesday at age 100.
Those who have bicycled the GAP might remember him as the man who staffed the visitor's center at the Rockwood trailhead in the summer. He'd dispense information about lodging, camping and other services in high country of the bike trail, as well as share the local lore.
He became so well known along the Somerset County section of the bike trail that the office was renamed the Sembower Visitor Center …..
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/20/great-allegheny-passage-loses-ambassador-maynard-sembower/
Cross-country bike travelers who are tired enough to sleep in a hollow log at night probably won't mind the fact that the new bike hostel in Farmington, Missouri, is a refurbished county jail.
The Transamerican Trail Cyclers Inn opened its doors Tuesday night, just in time for the start of Stage 3 of the Tour of Missouri on Wednesday.
The hostel is also known as “Al's Place,” named in recognition of local bicycling enthusiast Al Dziewa who died of cancer. The hostel sports 14 bunk beds in three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and laundry room. ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/10/old-jail-reopened-as-bike-hostel-in-farmington-missouri/
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