The National Park Service wants to manage the Blue Ridge Parkway “as a traditional, self-contained, scenic recreational driving experience.”
That might be fine for some, but unfortunately it doesn't consider the growing number of bicyclists who ride parts if not all of the 469-mile road along the crest of the eastern mountain chain in Virginia and North Carolina.
Under a new draft management plan proposed by the National Park Service, the managers wouldn't have to accommodate these human-powered users of the parkway …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/12/08/bicyclists-wont-take-backseat-on-blue-ridge-parkway-proposal/
A German bicycle traveler is returning home from the US soon, in spite of his comatose condition.
Michael Sprick has been hospitalized in Roanoke on life support ever since he was struck by a delivery truck on a Virginia highway on Oct. 8. The driver was fined $500 on Tuesday.
In spite of being thousands of miles from home, friends he had made during his travels in the US have gathered around to lend support. That support hasn't slackened as the days turned into weeks turned into months.
If not for the tragic results of the crash, this would be a feel-good story about the bicycle community pulling together …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/12/07/german-bicycle-tourist-still-in-coma-going-home/
When the Adventure Cycling Association convened its local members in Seattle last year, at left, I had no idea we were part of the largest bicycling organization in the US.
But the nonprofit created to chart a cross-country bicycle route to celebrate the nation's bicentennial in 1976 has grown to 44,000 individual members who benefit from its mapping, tour hosting and bicycle transportation advocacy roles.
The Missoula, Montana-based nonprofit announced its results for the past year and past decade on Tuesday. During the past 10 years, membership has grown 19%, map sales are up 48% and its annual budget has soared to $4.1 million, a 65% increase from the beginning of the decade.
To me, these are all hopeful indicators …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/12/07/adventure-cycling-trends-show-growing-interest-in-bicycle-touring/
The survivor of a life-threatening bicycle crash during a century bike ride in Oregon last summer wants to find and thank the bicyclists and passersby who saved his life.
Jim Phillips, 68, says he's alive today because of the cyclists who stopped on a screaming downhill descent during the Pioneer Century in Clakamas County on June 4 to give him aid.
“… it turns out I was bleeding profusely internally. Had I laid there, I don't know how long, I would have suffocated had I not gotten out of there,” …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/12/06/bicyclist-wants-to-thank-fellow-riders-who-saved-his-life/
An old episode of The Andy Griffith Show unearthed on YouTube (see inside) shows us how bicycle touring hasn't changed that much over the years.
We still use essentially the same gear and learn about different cultures through our travels.
The proper English bicycle tourist of 1963, as portrayed by Hollywood, traveled with much the same gear as you'd find on a touring bike today — bike fenders, bike racks, a luggage system, head gear and cycling clothes.
In this case, however, the front rack supports a wire basket, the rear rack a small suitcase and a pannier that looks like a canvas briefcase. The head gear is a flat cap …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/12/01/english-bicycle-touring-circa-1963-in-mayberry/
Roadside rumble strips might be helpful to vehicle traffic on the open road, but they can be annoying and dangerous to people riding bicycles.
That's why three bicycling advocacy groups are publicly thanking the Federal Highway Administration for issuing guidelines this month to advise crews to consider bicyclists when installing the strips.
The statement was issued by Adventure Cycling Association, Alliance for Biking and Walking and the League of American Bicyclists.
The three had been seeking changes to road design rules that resulted in rumble strips that had created hazardous conditions for cyclists.
The photo above shows a length of Biking Across Kansas this year where bicyclists …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/11/29/accommodate-bicyclists-when-installing-rumble-strips-say-feds/
Where do we get the inspiration for a long-distance bicycle tour?
Englishman Anthony Watson didn't go any further than his morning cup of coffee.
Watson brewed his love of the bean into a full-blown bicycle expedition from England, through southern Europe and Turkey to the birthplace of the coffee plant, Ethiopia. He's sharing his adventures and discoveries for the past 7 1/2 months at his blog, Bean on a Bike.
While many touring bicyclists …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/11/29/the-ultimate-blend-of-bicycle-travel-and-coffee-love/
The Christmas tree lights already are shining in many town squares, but I was glad to see at least one city is using bicycle-power to keep its árbol de Navidad illuminated.
The warmth generated at the Mexican city park might not come from the Christmas lights on the tree, but the 15 volunteers who are pedaling at its base.
Visitors are pedaling to keep the tree lit in the city of Puebla, which is hosting a “Sustainable Christmas” fair this year.
The bicycles are attached to generators that charge two batteries ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/11/28/passersby-pedaling-to-keep-christmas-tree-alight/
A rainy winter day is a perfect time to ponder a bicycle ride across the dry side of Washington state.
That's the destination for Ride Around Washington 2012, announced last week by the Cascade Bicycle Club.
The 400-mile supported bicycle tour rolls out Aug. 5-11 through the Ponderosa pines to the wide-open hills of the Palouse and back again. Along the way, riders will spend a couple of nights in western Idaho.
My son and I bicycled previous RAW tours that individually visited these regions. The roads …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/11/27/route-announced-for-ride-around-washington-2012/
Photo by Laura Irwin If bike touring with panniers is like traveling with a big roller suitcase, bikepacking is like traveling with only a carry-on backpack. The goal is to […] The post Bikepacking Gear: What to Take & How to Pack It appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.
Gender Equity Mechanics (GEM) is a gathering of women and non-binary people interested in learning hands-on bicycle maintenance and repair skills. We would like to give a shout out to […] The post Gender Equity Mechanics Reflects on a Year of Bicycle Maintenance Workshops appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.
This story originally appeared in the 2024 Nov/Dec issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine’s Final Mile essay anthology. *** I rode with tears streaming down my face. I pedaled as hard […] The post Me, Myself, and I appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting is one of the largest transportation conferences in the United States, perhaps in the world. This year was its 104th meeting and it… The post Five Takeaways from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.
Big changes can start small. That’s the idea behind the League’s Community Spark Grants—to give local leaders the catalyst they need for bite-sized projects that make biking safer, easier, and… The post How Community Spark Grants Boosted Local Biking Initiatives in 2024 appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.
Thanks to Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA), the Ranking Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, your state is getting more Transportation Alternatives funds! Yesterday, Congress passed the Water… The post New Transportation Alternatives Funding coming your way appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.
The National Park Service wants to manage the Blue Ridge Parkway “as a traditional, self-contained, scenic recreational driving experience.”
A German bicycle traveler is returning home from the US soon, in spite of his comatose condition.
When the Adventure Cycling Association convened its local members in Seattle last year, at left, I had no idea we were part of the largest bicycling organization in the US.
The survivor of a life-threatening bicycle crash during a century bike ride in Oregon last summer wants to find and thank the bicyclists and passersby who saved his life.
The Livestrong army next year will return to the same three cities it occupied in 2011 for its charity bike rides to raise money to fight cancer.
An old episode of The Andy Griffith Show unearthed on YouTube (see inside) shows us how bicycle touring hasn't changed that much over the years. 
Where do we get the inspiration for a long-distance bicycle tour?
A rainy winter day is a perfect time to ponder a bicycle ride across the dry side of Washington state.
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