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A memorable August weekend bike ride

It's not everyday that I have a rolling conversation with a guy riding a bike with one wheel, also known as a unicycle. That' just one reason why I'll remember my 56-mile bike ride from Saturday for a long time.

Memories from most of my bicycle rides dissolve away in a matter of days. Same route. Same weather. Same traffic. Rinse. Repeat.

But on Saturday, after finding that my planned route was very clogged with bicyclists enjoying the super weather here in the Pacific Northwest, I hung a right turn up the bicycle ramp toward Factoria.

Goodbye to the cycling hordes cyclists hammering around Lake Washington. With no clear destination…

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/29/a-memorable-august-weekend-bike-ride/

Share your ideas about King County's trails and parks

If you ride the dirt and paved trails operated by King County (WA) Parks, you might want to participate in an online survey.

It takes about 10 minutes to fill out.

The park folks want to know how we use their facilities, what we like and don't like about them, and how we think they can be improved.

It can't …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/24/share-your-ideas-about-king-countys-trails-and-parks/

Enjoying the bike ride across Lake Washington

Sometimes I take for granted some of the great bicycling assets right in my own back yard.

One of those is the bike lane across the Interstate 90 Lake Washington bridge that links Seattle with the Eastside suburbs.

The proper name is the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge, and the bike lane has been part of the bridge since it opened in 1989.

I discovered this bike lane on the westbound floating bridge soon after moving here 11 years ago. I use it on my occasional bike rides into Seattle or down to the ferry terminals for rides on the Olympic Peninsula.

Hundreds of bike commuters use it daily ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/23/enjoying-the-bike-ride-across-lake-washington/

Where old-time cyclists used to find support

A standard — but usually unseen and unsung — piece of athletic gear in many sports is the common jock strap.

Although I doubt that any cyclists wrapped up in lycra and chamois these days would consider using one, the jock strap was created to support bicycle riders.

While visiting a museum on Orcas Island this past week, I stumbled across this antique box for a Jockey Strap Suspensory. It was in a collection of early 20th Century items found in a home's private dispensary.

Notice “The Bike” logo and the guy riding his bicycle ….

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/22/where-old-time-cyclists-used-to-find-support/

Deadly Nedly wins grueling Mt. Washington bicycle climb; Carnation cyclist in 3rd

Say what you will about such storied climbs of the Tour de France as Alpe d'Huez and the Tourmalet.

The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in New Hampshire is the “Toughest Hillclimb in the World” and has a registered trademark to prove it.

On Saturday, the 7-1/2 mile bike race to the summit was won by Ned Overend, left, a legend in the world of mountain bicycling.

At 56, he continues to compete in endurance events instead of resting on the laurels …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/21/deadly-nedly-wins-grueling-mt-washington-bicycle-climb-carnation-cyclist-in-3rd/

Where your bike lock might be worth more than the bicycle

My son is heading to China for his fall semester and I stumbled across some information about getting around by bicycle in Beijing in his student handbook.

The book says bikes are still very useful for going short distances in the cities. They're not expensive and “if you plan to stay for more than a semester, it may be wise to invest in one.”

That's apparently what a person who is selling her bike at TheBeijinger.com did.  That bike is selling for 350 yuan, about $50-$55. It comes with that sweet front basket decorated with the butterfly, above …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/15/where-your-bike-lock-might-be-worth-more-than-the-bicycle/

The joy of bicycling Washington's Palouse region

Crossing mountain passes by bicycle always gives me a lot of satisfaction, but I get the most thrill from bicycling on rolling rural roads.

I enjoy using my big gear to power downhill and gain enough momentum to help me up the next rise. At the top a view of the landscape unfolds in front of me before I dive into the next tight valley.

Some of the best rolling terrain I've ever ridden is in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington, above.

This is a wheat and legume-growing area encompassing hundreds of square miles of silt dunes created during the last Ice Age. Farm roads wind around these humps and hallows …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/14/the-joy-of-bicycling-washingtons-palouse-region/

Colorado cyclist wins Leadville 100 mountain bike race

No Lance and no Levi at the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race on Saturday, and no record for the men.

Durango's Todd Wells won the high-altitude mountain bike race on the legendary course in the Rocky Mountains with the second fastest time on record of 6 hours, 23 minutes.

That's about 7 minutes slower than the course record set by Levi Leipheimer in 2010. Leipheimer, who is racing this week at the Tour of Utah, in turn had beaten the previous record set by Lance Armstrong ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/13/colorado-cyclist-wins-leadville-100-mountain-bike-race/

Ride Idaho bike tour boosts small-town economies; Ride Around Washington is coming up

Some 350 bicyclists are rolling across the Potato State this week as Ride Idaho 2011 explores the scenic byways in the central part of the state.

The cyclists who come from 31 states and Canada departed for Stanley on Friday morning after spending two nights in Hailey and the Wood River Valley.

The Idaho bike tour offered Hailey a lesson in bicycle tourism economics. The Times-News reported that tour organizers bought $12,000 worth of “chamber bucks,” enabling each rider to spend the equivalent of $25 in local stores. Ride Idaho also donated bicycle racks to the rodeo and ice arena and some playground equipment.

And, as it was a layover day on a week of 70-mile rides, some participants took advantage of a local whitewater rafting trip ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/12/ride-idaho-bike-tour-boosts-small-town-economies-ride-around-washington-is-coming-up/

Cyclists rolling out on bike rides to commemorate 9-11

In a month, many Americans will be converging on Ground Zero to remember the thousands who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center 10 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.

Some of them will be on bicycles. Several groups are riding their bikes to raise  money for first responders on 9-11 or the veterans and their families of the ensuing wars. [The two firefighters at left are members of the Bay to Brooklyn Ride.]

In fact, at least three cross-country bicycle tours are already making their way to New York City. Others will either arrive or depart from Ground Zero.

Why ride bicycles to commemorate the tragedy? Long-distance bicycle tours get people's attention, and it's easy to start conversations with folks along the way. These rides also draw attention to a cause from the media.

Jorge Ostrovsky, 54, a firefighter from the Los Angeles area on the Ride for 9-11 …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/08/10/cyclists-rolling-out-on-bike-rides-to-commemorate-9-11/