Andreas Klöden Finishes 2nd at Paris-Nice 2011

Team RadioShack’s Andreas Klöden added to his long and impressive list of palmaires today, finishing in 2nd place in the overall general classification of the 8 days of the storied Paris-Nice race. On a cold and rainy day, on some very slick roads in the south of France, the experienced 35-year old finished the [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/andreas-kloden-finishes-2nd-at-paris-nice-2011/

free cycling

Our Trail Angel Flies Away

Yesterday, June Curry, an amazing woman and a hero to many thousands of cyclists worldwide, passed away at the age of 91. June's story has been told many times but here's the snapshot:

Living in her home near the small town of Afton, VA, on the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, June was going about her normal routine in the summer of 1976 when she noticed an unusual number of cyclists passing her home going up and down the incline. Being a courteous person, she put out her garden hose for cyclists to fill up their water bottles. Being a social person, June learned that these cyclists were part of a phenomenon known as Bikecentennial. Eventually, she started supplying the riders with snacks and home-baked cookies (the reason she was dubbed the "Cookie Lady"). Then June took the momentous leap to re-purpose a building next to her home as an overnight stop-over for traveling cyclists. The "Bike House" had places to sleep, a full kitchen, and loads of cycling memorabilia and Polaroid photos of visiting cyclists. (There are some good pictures of June and the Bike House in this article in Nelson County Life.)

Over more than three decades, June hosted thousands of cyclists from all over the planet. Her generosity was so great that we named our first formal bike-travel award in her honor -- the June Curry "Trail Angel" Award -- recognizing an individual or group that goes the extra mile (or ten) to help traveling cyclists.

Three years ago, I had the pleasure of riding from Charlottesville, VA to Afton for the purpose of visiting June and thanking her in person for all that she had done. When I arrived, she gave me another gift -- her warm spirit and her many memories of visiting cyclists. The beautiful thing about June and her recollections is that they weren't about her -- they were about all that the cyclists meant to her, how much joy and energy she got from serving them as they traveled under their own power across America. A trail angel, indeed -- we will miss her greatly.

We learned this afternoon that two remembrances are planned to honor June: An "Open Room" on Thursday, July 19 at the Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Home in Waynesboro, VA from 9 am to 5 pm,  and a graveside service on Friday, July 20 at 11:00 am at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood, VA. We will post more information here as we get it, and you can track the latest news at Bike Charlottesville.

Adventure Cycling will also be doing a special article on June in the October/November issue of Adventure Cyclist. In the meantime, you can peruse more stories about June, including this blog post from our own Jenn Milyko and this lovely compilation of bicycle anecdotes from June herself.

Thanks June, for all you did for so many people in the heart of the Blue Ridge. We hope and trust there is someone waiting for you with warm cookies at the entry to bicycle heaven.

Photo: Jim Sayer with June Curry in June 2009 on the porch of June's home in Afton, VA.

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JIM SAYER is the executive director of Adventure Cycling Association.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/07/our-trail-angel-flies-away.html

cycling

Rhode Island: A Small State Big on Surprises



The photo above is of a kinetic bicycle sculpture spotted turning in the wind during a terrific-sounding loop ride through northern Rhode Island. The ride, and the photo, were taken by Bryan Lorber, an RN in vascular access who's also an enthusiastic cyclist. But not until this outing was he an overnighter. 

"Although I have cycled quite a bit in Rhode Island, I had never done any multi-day trips here (or anywhere else)," Bryan writes at his Bike Overnights post, Northern Rhode Island: History + Hospitality. "So, the purpose of this overnight tour was twofold: First, to practice fully-loaded touring with a camping component; and, secondly, to see Rhode Island and share with readers the surprising diversity of this smallest of states.

"Rhode Island is densely settled," he adds, "with Providence the primary population center and state capital. Interestingly, though, once you get away from the major highway corridors of Interstates 95 and 195, the state is surprisingly rural, with excellent cycling." 




As he pedaled through the capital city, before he reached that great rural riding, Bryan found himself surrounded by history -- particularly along the venerable Benefit Street, which he calls a "textbook of historic preservation."

In addition to the excellent road and bikeway riding he experienced, Bryan had the opportunity to camp out on the farm of a couple named Paula and Pete, a connection he made through the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen. Their hospitality "made the tour," Bryan writes.


He also had nice things to say about his rig. "My Tout Terrain Silkroad expedition bike with the Rohloff Speed hub was just amazing. I'd put over 3,000 miles on her (Joan) since last May, so I already knew how good she is -- but on this ride I was carrying approximately 30 pounds of equipment over some hilly terrain. The Rohloff drivetrain performed flawlessly. I still own a derailleur bike (Bridgestone RBT), but can't imagine ever buying one again. Any future bicycles in my life will have a Rohloff drivetrain." 

For more Rhode Island road magic, read Bryan's story in its entirety at BikeOvernights.org

Our current Photo of the Week, shown below, might look familiar. That's because it comes from last week's special summer-solstice Bike Overnight, Alaska: Bears and Bikes and the Midnight Sun, by Kate Batten.



BikeOvernights.org Photo of the Week, 06.22.12.

Top 3 photos by Bryan Lorber.

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BIKE OVERNIGHTS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling?s media specialist, and highlights content from BikeOvernights.org. Previously, from March 2009 through January 2012, Mac posted weekly at Biking Without Borders. He also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to 45,000 readers worldwide.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/06/rhode-island-small-state-big-on.html

cycling shop

Go nuts for our Wonderful Pistachios competition!

We’ve teamed up with Wonderful Pistachios to give two lucky readers the chance to win a tasty (and practical) cycling pack. This fabulous prize includes a Wonderful Pistachios cycling team jersey, a pair of cycling gloves and a year?s supply of Wonderful Pistachios* to provide you with some tasty post exercise snacks! Wonderful Pistachios say [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2012/06/27/go-nuts-for-our-wonderful-pistachios-competition/

cycling bib shorts