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Do you like irony? Then here's one for you:
An 18.8-mile bike path that's proposed to run alongside a toll road in the Washington DC suburbs is in danger of being blocked because it could damage environmentally sensitive parkland.
Never mind that the $2.4 billion, six-lane toll road follows the same route. In fact, the bike trail was originally proposed as an ecological offset for environmental damage caused by the new road between Gaithersburg and Laurel …
Eric Gilliland, executive director of the Washington Area Bicycle Association, told the Washington Post:
“We really don't understand the rationale behind dropping a bike trail for environmental issues when they're already running a big highway through there.” ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/21/environmental-issues-might-block-bike-path-while-toll-road-okd/
What better way to publicize the advantages of urban bicycling to national decision-makers than to make 1,000 bicycles available for use at the upcoming Democratic and Republican national conventions.
The new Freewheelin' bike-sharing program will be in Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul during the conventions to lend out the free bicycles to anyone with picture ID and credit card.
The Humana health insurance company is behind the Freewheelin program, in partnership with the Bikes Belong advocacy group …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/21/1000-free-bikes-at-democratic-and-republican-conventions/
Cervélo is recalling some 5,800 Wolf SL Carbon Fiber bicycle forks because the fork steerer can crack under normal use.
The fork is manufactured by True Temper Composite Material Products of Guangzhou, China, and used on some Cervelo bicycles.
Although Cervelo didn't make the forks, the Switzerland-based company says it is issuing the recall and will replace the forks with different models at no cost to dealers or consumers. The company has received a dozen reports of the forks cracking or breaking….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/21/cervelo-recalls-wolf-sl-carbon-fiber-bicycle-forks/
What's touted as the biggest-ever cross-country bicycle tour is currently making its way across the US.
The 2008 Sea to Sea, Ending the Cycle of Poverty bike tour boasts 127 cyclists who are making the entire 3,881-mile trek from Seattle to Jersey City, New Jersey. They're joined along the way by 91 other bicyclists who are riding different segments.
All cross-country rides have to start with a rear-wheel dip in the ocean. This is what it looked like, above, when the Sea to Sea bike carried out this tradition in Seattle. There's no ocean here, but getting wet in the Puget Sound at Golden Gardens Park is close enough …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/18/cross-country-bicycle-touring-in-a-big-way/
Whenever I head north along the Sammamish River Trail, a gravel trail that breaks off to the east about 6 miles from Redmond frequently catches my eye.
Leaving my road bike at home, I recently paid a visit to the Tolt Pipeline Trail, left, on the used Rockhopper mountain bike that I bought to explore the many dirt and gravel trails in my big back yard.
This trail is the right-of-way for a water pipeline the serves the City of Seattle. The total distance of the trail, not counting the interruptions, is about 12 miles. I bicycled the 7-mile central section from Sammamish River Trail to just above West Snoqualmie Valley Road.
Steep grades
Those of us who are used to the oh-so-gentle climbs on rail-to-trail right-of-ways will certainly find these steep grades challenging. The pipeline simply goes from Point A to Point B and the trail follows, with no grading to get in the way …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/17/bicycling-the-tolt-pipeline-trail/
There are charity bike rides, then there are extreme charity bike rides. I would put Down Right Kenya in the latter category.
What makes it so amazing is that the fund-raiser bike ride for the Harambee Schools Kenya starts in the UK and travels along two routes all the way to Kenya, a distance of 6,000 miles.
The 12 touring bicyclists (there's room for 20) are paying their own way and expect it will take them six months to complete the trek. They will carry everything; no sag. They're heading into a country that has been racked by civil strife …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/15/down-right-kenya-is-a-downright-amazing-bike-tour/
About 6 years ago, astronaut John B. Herrington was speeding around the Earth at 17,000 mph in the Space Shuttle Endeavor.
Today he's embarking on a cross-country bicycle tour from Washington's Olympic Peninsula aboard his fully loaded Trek 520 on which he'll be lucky to average 12 mph.
Let's just call it one small step for man, one giant pedal stroke for mankind.
The cross-country bike tour is called Rocketrek and it's intended to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/13/astronaut-herringtons-new-adventure-is-by-touring-bike/
Washington DC joins the likes of Paris and Barcelona on Wednesday when the SmartBikeDC bicycle rental program kicks off.
Although it starts with just 120 bikes at 10 locations around the downtown area, it marks the first, self-service bike rental program in the US.
The cost is $40 a year and subscribers are allowed to use the bikes for up to three hours at a time. Helmets and bicycle locks are not provided. The locations are …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/12/smartbike-dc-launches-on-wednesday/
Many people commuting to work by bicycle, or simply running errands, find that there's a serious lack of decent places to lock up their bikes.
New York City is grappling with the problem of too few and inadequate bike parking devices by promoting a design competition for the city's new bike racks.
The city's transportation commissioner compares some designs to “handcuffs chained to the street.” No problem. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is all in favor of the program.
The 10 contest finalists can be seen at the CityRacks Design Competition blog. If some of these look a like over the top to you, consider that one of the judges is David Byrne….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/11/judging-the-best-new-bike-racks/
When I first read that Arizona's state Republican Party chairman was riding his bicycle across the state, I thought he was calling attention to the benefits of bicycling.
But no. Randy Pullen is upset the Democrats in Congress hadn't done anything about high gasoline prices. He told the Arizona Republic:
“We decided a 500-mile bicycle trip might help call attention to how ordinary Americans are suffering from the national energy crisis.”
Excuse me, but riding a bicycle is not suffering. It's fun …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/08/10/more-people-on-bikes-but-whos-suffering/
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