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:\OFF THE WIRE\ 10.12.01
Seattle Number One In The Saddle
"We're a two-wheeling kind of town, and Bicycling magazine confirms it, naming Seattle
the most bike-friendly city in the United States and Canada, among cities of 500,000 to 1 million."
And we thought everyone was too busy hanging out in coffee bars to ride a bike.
NYC Bike Hacks Move Downtown
"One month after the World Trade Center attack, this still isn't a typical rush hour,
and these aren't your typical taxis. With much of lower Manhattan closed to vehicles,
rickshaw-style bicycle cabs have pedalled in to fill the gap." And no pre-recorded messages
telling you to buckle up!
 Ready? OK, Shift to 1,243
"It took Leon Chassman 18 months to build,
and over 6 months just to set the gear ratios."
On the one hand, you've got your single speed lovers. On
the other hand...
Man Bites Dog
Municipalities in Ohio prepare to narrow a bridge to downtown Cleveland. "The plan would restore the bridge to its original design.
It was expanded to six lanes in the 1960s, which made it more convenient for cars,
but dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists." You don't say?
A Good Education
"The annual Bike Fest is an event where the students of Gulf Breeze Elementary
School are encouraged to ride their bikes to school."
:\OFF THE WIRE\ 10.11.01
Ullrich Notches A Win
"Germany's Jan Ullrich won the men's world time-trial
crown in Lisbon in what boiled down to a thrilling contest between him and
Hong Kong-based Scottish cyclist David Millar."
Featuring Phil Ligget Sampling!
Are you ready for a song celebrating Lance Armstrong's victory in the 2001 Tour de France? We're not
sure either.
11,000ft + Tournant + 1km = 58.875sec
Barely a week after his record-shattering performance at
the World Track Championships, Frenchman Arnaud Tournant broke the one-minute mark for the kilometer
at a velodrome in La Paz, Bolivia, on Wednesday.
When Cultures Collide
"Police Chief Ronald Coffey told Narragansett Wheelman Association President David Andrews
he remembered the first phone call he took on Sunday, Sept. 9, the morning of the
organization's annual Flattest Mile of the Century ride.
'It was from the Tiverton Police. It said, 'Little Compton beware, they're on their way,
and they're all over the place.'"
Longo Won't Go Away
"Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, who first began winning titles in the 1980s,
rallied Wednesday to capture the elite women's time trial at cycling's world championships.
The 42-year-old French rider overcame a four-second deficit at the halfway mark for the
13th world title of her career." Oh well.
Blind And Biking
Hellen Keller was an avid cyclist. And now, thanks to a foundation,
legally blind children are getting a chance to feel the air rush by
and the wheels roll along.
Of Ten Speeds and Terrorists
An editorial about bicycle thieves in the 70s, terrorists today, and profiling.
More Two Wheel Law
"The training included practical applications of riding the bikes through traffic, braking
on various surfaces, riding over obstacles and up and down stairs.
The bikes are equipped with red-and-blue flashing lights and sirens." An Indiana town
joins the growing trend.
Brakes? Oops!
Kids don't use brakes. Do they? To be on the safe side, bicycles are recalled.
:\OFF THE WIRE\ 10.10.01
Amsterdam Infrastructure
"Near the Van Gogh Museum, we locked our bikes at the free bike racks that are located
all over the city." A travelogue in the Washington Post reveals the importance of bicycles
in Amsterdam and illustrates how cycling is encouraged.
High Class Patrol
A police department in Clive, Iowa, gets a Mercedes-Benz.
Down By The River
The story of two bike paths near Louisiana State University along the Mississippi River, one to encourage
alternative transportation, one for recreational purposes. "Ted Jack, LSU’s manager of campus planning,
is glad to get both."
Bamboozled: Splendor In The Grass
"In 1895 three eccentric Austrian inventors
developed and built a bamboo bicycle
in Austria. The 'Ferlacher Bambusrad'
competed in and won races in its time,
proving that natural technology could be
superior to metal work." We don't know about
superior technology these days, but we love the name: Bambooclette.
No Parking
A newspaper columnist who has been encouraging biking to work in Eugene, Oregon, talks with
a reader who tried her suggestion. The woman cried foul when her car, left at home
in front of her house the day she rode to work, was ticketed. The issue of
the space parked cars consume was not addressed.
:\OFF THE WIRE\ 10.09.01
Young And Fast
American Danny Pate won the Espoirs time trial at the World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, today. Britain's 18-year-old dynamo, Nicole Cooke,
won the women's junior time trial for her third rainbow jersey in the past year.
Get Off The Real Road
This kind of reaction in Northeastern New York is what makes us a bit nervous about bike paths. Obviously
cyclists are choosing the road for legitimate reasons, but try telling that
to the people operating "real" vehicles.
BBC Reports Virenque Keen For Win
"Frenchman Richard Virenque will be in a confident
mood after upsetting the sprinters in last Sunday's Paris-Tours classic."
Preaching To The Choir?
"The Swiss Bicycle Advocacy Association is an independent non-profit organization
with about 20,000 members. (Switzerland has about 7 million inhabitants with 4 million
bicycles.) Our purpose is to advocate and promote vehicular cycling for commuting, shopping and recreation."
A one-page outline in English. The association organizes over 60 local used bicycle markets
where people can buy and sell used bikes and accessories.
Titanium Out Of The Closet
A short report from Bicycle Retailer noting that the Lotto Adecco team
will ride Litespeed bicycles next year, the first squad to go exclusively Ti.
:\OFF THE WIRE\ 10.08.01
Climber Wins Sprinter's Classic
"It was the controversial climber
Richard Virenque (Domo-Farm Frites) who managed to hold off the charging peloton for
a solo win on Tours' Avenue du Grammont
as he attacked near the end of a long two-up break with fellow Frenchman Jacky Durand."
You might expect a provocateur like Durand to find himself leading Paris-Tours,
but how did mountain man Virenque get in position to win this World Cup
event that traditionally falls to a sprinter?
80.55 Miles an Hour!
Sam Whittingham eked his recumbent over the 80-mile-an-hour mark to set a new world record.
Jason Queally, who received most of the limited pre-event coverage, could only get his Blueyonder machine up to 64.34 mph.
We just wish it was still known as the World's Fastest Bicycle Competition instead of
the overly scientific World Human Powered Speed Challenge.
Get Snow Tires
“I’d like to see it actually expanded so they have some kind of
parallel in the winter time. Maybe they’ll be the ski patrol.” Like many other places,
a Wisconsin town finds police bike patrols work in several ways.
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