Recap at The Giro?s Halfway Point

Today marked the 10th stage of this year?s 3,525 kilometer (2190+ mile), 21-stage Giro d?Italia. Some of the great racing so far will not soon be forgotten, but unfortunately this year?s 94th edition of the race may be most remembered for the horrible tragedy that befell one of its up-and-coming stars on Monday?s stage 3. [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/recap-at-the-giro%e2%80%99s-halfway-point/

british cycling

Bicycle Travel Etiquette

In his October/November 2012 Adventure Cyclist "Letter from the Editor" (PDF), Mike Deme responded to correspondence he had received from Gillian Hoggard (see same PDF), our 2006 Trail Angel Award winner (PDF). Gillian was writing to withdraw her name as a "Cyclists Only Lodging" on the TransAmerica Trail due to a string of bad experiences.

Up until recently, I considered instances of this sort to be a rarity. And while they aren't commonplace, Gillian isn't the only one having these experiences. In the past year, we've also had a church ask to be removed from our maps after a series of cyclists treated their property with disrespect. A longstanding cyclist-only hostel has likewise reported an observed shift in the attitudes of the traveling cyclists they've been seeing.

Based on my observations in general -- so, not scientifically speaking -- over the last couple of years, to varying degrees, we have had an increase in the number of complaints about rude cyclists. I find this incredibly disheartening. Especially since, when I ask traveling cyclists about the highlights of their trip, "the people I have met" almost never fails to show up in the top ten. This is something I always assumed went both ways and that those people that were "met" found the exchanges positive, too.


In some ways, I suppose it's a simple math equation: more numbers in the traveling cyclist population = greater visibility of bad apples. I'd like to think this doesn't have to be the cost of the rising popularity of bicycle travel. I hope it's simply a lack of understanding and not a permanent trend that can't be stemmed with a little effort.

What we've seen in reaction to Gillian's letter is that there is still a large pool of goodwill out there for traveling cyclists as well as the reminder that hosts need to be clear about their expectations in this exchange. (See the "Letters from our Readers" (PDF) in the December/January issue of Adventure Cyclist for some of these responses.)


We have begun a conversation with the Warm Showers organization -- the leading group facilitating hospitality for touring cyclists worldwide -- and will collaborate with them and their participants along with you, our readers and members, on a friendly guide to bicycle-travel etiquette. Our intention is to end up with a set of best practices and tips for traveling cyclists and hosts to consider when planning to utilize, or become, a "Cyclists Only Lodging" or "Camping" option.

In this spirit, we will be writing a series of blog posts over the course of the spring on different facets of bicycle-travel etiquette addressing issues from how to arrange an overnight stay to managing assumptions of both parties, and a lot in between.


If you have suggestions for topics we should cover, situations you'd like to see addressed, or "rules" you advise, please leave a comment below or tweet it to @acaroutes. Thank you!

Photo 1: Host Teri in Stevens Point, Wisconsin with traveling cyclist Steve from brotherM's Flickr photostream.
Photo 2: Coco, a frequent host in the Baja Desert, with Scott and Emily of wegoslow.com from their Flickr photostream.
Photo 3: Camping in a New Jersey hosts backyard from neilfein's Flickr photostream.
Photo 4: Cyclists and their hosts enjoying a sunset together on Puget Sound in Washington state from gabriel amadeus's Flickr photostream.

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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from the Adventure Cycling Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/12/bicycle-travel-etiquette.html

cycling gear

Stories as Gifts

As I watch the snow fall outside my office window, I remember the book we keep in the Cyclist's Lounge for visiting cyclists to write in when they stop by. It is filled with stories, map doodles, and advice; and it is brimming with enthusiasm.

Near the beginning of the book is this note from Chad and Jerry Umble, a father and son from Pennsylvania:

"My dad and I stopped here on our trip from Newport, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. Twenty-five years ago, our family of five and two others bicycled this same route. I was 12 years old and my older, twin brothers were 15. It is weird to see some of the spots that have become part of family lore, and we have even recreated some of the old photos in the same spots."

After reading this entry, I had to see if we captured a picture of this duo in our 2012 Visiting Cyclists Flickr set. We did! While Jerry appears on the serious side, Chad's smile reveals that all is well.


Jerry chronicled their tour in a blog, US BLOG 2012, where you can read how this pair faired across the country on a route mainly comprised of the TransAmerica Trail. (Spoiler alert: It didn't go quite as planned.)

I'll bet when the family gets together this holiday season, there will be new stories told and old stories recalled of times together on bicycles. In my mind, these will be the best gifts shared.

Photo from Adventure Cycling's Flickr photostream.

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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from the Adventure Cycling Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/12/stories-as-gifts.html

cycling games