Tour de France 2011, Stage 1 Report

And so it begins, the 98th edition of the greatest show in cycling, a 3,436-km (2135+ mile), 21-stage professional cycling race consuming almost the entire month of July as well as most of the geography of France. That distance is the span from New York to California. The claim is that it is the largest [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/tour-de-france-2011-stage-1-report/

cycling games

Holiday Wish List

When I was a child I made wish lists of all the things I wanted my parents to give me for Christmas and Hannukah. Lucky me, with a Baptist mother and Jewish father, I got to celebrate both holidays. I remember getting my first bike, a purple Huffy, and running outdoors in my pajamas and socks to ride it around the neighborhood. Over the years many items appeared on my list: Barbies, New Kids on the Block albums, a CD player, new bikes (always), and, of course, a pony. And a new puppy. I should stop myself now. You get it though, there were many things I wanted that I felt, as a child, I couldn't live without.

As an adult now, with the holidays and new year approaching, of course there are things that I want, but more importantly I contemplate all the great things I wish for the world. Many of my wishes are about a bicycle-friendly world and some are just about bicycles.  
Adventure Cycling has a wish list too. Except our wishes are more than just wishes. They are goals that, with your support, will be achieved.

We envision a future in which:

  • Everyone is aware of the amazing power of traveling by bicycle.
  • Cyclists are inspired to explore landscapes and cultures for fun, fitness, and self-discovery.
  • Everyone has easy access to a national network of bicycle routes.
  • Barriers to bicycle travel are eliminated.
  • Everyone has the information and tools necessary to travel successfully by bicycle.
  • Bicycle tourism is a thriving part of the economy. 

You can help these wishes become a reality by making a donation to our Holiday Campaign today. This year, our Holiday Trailblazers (donors who have come together to create a match challenge) will match all gifts 1:1. If you give a donation that is at least 25% greater than your annual gift last year, they will match it 2:1!* All gifts must be received by December 31st to qualify for the match, so please donate today.

For more information on how we intend to make this vision a reality, check out our 2012 strategic plan.

Thank you for your support.


*2:1 match amount listed in 2012 Holiday Campaign package. You may also email development@adventurecycling.org or call Alex at (406) 532-2779 or Amanda at (406) 532-2775 to determine your 2:1 match amount. 

Images by Luke McDonnell


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SUPPORT ADVENTURE CYCLING is written by Amanda Lipsey, development director for Adventure Cycling Association.


Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/11/holiday-wish-list.html

cycling shops

Addison Lee Offices Die-in ?pictures?

It would like to start this as it was a warm spring evening, but in fact it was a cold and wet spring evening as a couple of hundred cyclists turned out on the door step of Addison Lees office in central London. It was a pleasant affair with cyclist lying on the cold wet tarmac to demonstrate a point of cyclist been knocked down not necessary by Addison Lee drivers, shortly after that the word went around that John Griffin was at the office and will come out to have a few words with us. Needless to say he did not have much to say I what he said could not be heard by every one. He was saying he cares for cyclist safety, that?s why he would like to see compulsory training scheme for cyclist blah blah, he went on to offer the cyclist present leaflets about the caring Addison Lee drivers cyclist awareness ?Please? I wont go on but I hope you enjoy the pictures Don?t forget to sign the petition below.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cyclingchatcouk/~3/gjaQ9RZ-ktE/

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Andreas Klöden Wins Stage 3 of Criterium Int?l 2011

Team RadioShack?s Andreas Klöden (GER), continued to show his strong form this spring by winning Sunday?s final 7.8 kilometer individual time trial stage at the Criterium International in France, by 4 seconds over second place finisher Bradley Wiggins (GBR) of Team Sky. Third place went to Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) of Leopard-Trek, 10 seconds back, and [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/andreas-kloden-wins-stage-3-of-criterium-int%e2%80%99l-2011/

craft cycling

Giving the Gift of New Routes


The other day I was chatting with Melissa Thompson, one of our cartographers who helps to create the bike maps and routes that you all know and love. The topic of conversation was her recent trip to the south, doing on-the-ground research for our next long-distance route: Bicycle Route 66.

While we were talking, Melissa said something that really resonated with me: ?I love the desert because you can see so much. There?s a feeling of freedom that hits you as you pedal down the road with what seems like the whole world stretched out in front of you.?

Though Melissa was speaking specifically about the desert, that feeling of the whole world stretching out in front of your bike is something that I have experienced in a wide variety of landscapes. Chattering along gravel-chipped roads through cornfields, laboring into the wind on those expansive Wyoming plains, and soaring down mountain passes in the Cascades. When experienced by bike, all of these locations provide this same feeling of infinite space. The bicycle can make you feel so small in the universe and, at the same time, so able to take on the whole world.

I want everyone to be able to experience that feeling, and for this reason the items at the top of my Bicycle Travel Wish List for 2013 are new routes in the Adventure Cycling Route Network. As our route network grows, so does the number of people with access to bicycle routes from their home towns. A bike route in your back yard is a difficult thing to pass up. Bicycle Route 66 and our new hot springs loop ride in Idaho will be two great options for bike trips in the coming years, and both will access areas previously unserved by the Adventure Cycling Route Network.

If you want to help Adventure Cycling make these and future routes a reality, please consider supporting the 2012 Holiday Campaign. With your help we can make bike travel wishes come true this holiday season.

Photo by Melissa Thompson
Illustration by Luke McDonnell

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SUPPORT ADVENTURE CYCLING is written by Alex Campbell, development coordinator for Adventure Cycling Association.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/12/giving-gift-of-new-routes.html

cycling shop

Give the Gift of Inspiration This Holiday Season

As holiday shopping hits a frantic pace, we wanted to remind you that an Adventure Cycling membership makes an inspiring gift for the cyclists in your life. If you join Adventure Cycling, or renew your membership now, you can give Holiday Gift Memberships for just $20 (half our regular rate!).


For each Holiday Gift Membership you give, you get one entry into the Share the Joy contest -- the more you give, the better your chances of winning great prizes, including a Rapid 1 bicycle from Giant, valued at $1250. Plus, you'll be inspiring your friends and family to get out and ride!

Holiday Gift Membership includes:

  • Nine issues of Adventure Cyclist magazine
  • Access to digital issues of Adventure Cyclist
  • Member discounts on route maps
  • Cyclosource catalog
  • Opportunity to participate in special organized tours
  • Affiliation benefits for members, including Better World Club, Bike Friday, and more.
Take advantage of this great offer now, and give a gift that keeps giving all year long!

Photo from the collection of the State Library of New South Wales on Flickr, Creative Commons.

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MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is posted almost every other Friday by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator. Membership Highlights spotlights the various benefits of membership, our accomplishments thanks to member support, and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/11/give-gift-of-inspiration-this-holiday.html

castelli cycling

Long distances, small feats. Chrono des Nations.

Sometimes great distances must be travelled to accomplish small feats.  How far would you travel to race your bike for 20.87 km?  I travelled exactly 4973 miles.  One way.  Why?  Simple.  Chrono des Nations.  Chrono des Nations, celebrating its 30th year anniversary, is one of the largest one day UCI time trials in the world that signifies the end of the European racing season.  How could I turn down this?  After spending the last two years trying to conquer the concussions and the elusive side effects, I needed to give...

Source: http://alisonstarnes.com/long-distances-small-feats-chrono-des-nations/

schwinn indoor cycling

Machado Rides Strong at Tirreno-Adriatico

The 7 stages of this year?s 45th running of the Tirreno-Adriatico, are now complete. After 1,075 kilometers (668 miles) the ?Race of The Two Seas? was decided on the last day, March 15, in the time trial by an 11 second margin. Cadel Evans of BMC ended up besting Robert Gesink of Rabobank for the [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/machado-rides-strong-at-tirreno-adriatico/

british cycling

9 Indicators that Bicycle Travel & Tourism Are Booming


On Tuesday, we issued a news release about the phenomenal growth of bicycle travel and tourism around the globe. Bicycle travel is taking over! Here are 9 new indicators that this is true:
  1. European Bike Tourism Generates 44 Billion Euros Annually: In September, researchers in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands found that bicycle tourism (including day trips and overnight trips) generates 44 billion Euros (or about $57 billion). The comprehensive study indicates that the bike-tourism sector generates 2.3 billion cycle trips in Europe every year and also takes visitors (and their money) to rural areas that are not often visited by other tourists.
  2. Greater Global Interest in Bike Tour Business: This year at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, there were more bike tour operators than ever. There were also many tour operators, which have focused traditionally on walking and trekking tours, that are now edging into bike travel as an alternative (and growing) revenue stream. Companies also noted stronger demand for their bike-tour offerings. KE AdventureTravel, based in England, has seen classic bike journeys such as Bhutan?s Thunder Dragon Ride and Nepal?s Pokhara to Kathmadu attract double the numbers that they did in 2011. KE has also added a variety of new road and mountain biking tours in Rajasthan (India), Toubkal  (Morocco), and Phuket (Thailand). In the European bike tourism study, researchers surveyed hundreds of bike tour operators on the continent and found that they were seeing rising demand for cycling adventures, whereas demand was flat in 2009.
  3. Bigger Bike Route Networks in Development: Around the world, countries, states, and provinces are creating bigger and better bicycle route networks for use by locals and to attract tourists. In Quebec Province, La Route Verte ? a system of urban, suburban and rural bikeways ? has grown over the last five years from 4,000 km to more than 5,000 km. In Europe, work has accelerated on establishing EuroVelo, a 70,000 km continental system of bike routes; the goal is to complete the network by 2020. In the U.S., agencies and non-profits have begun creating an official U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS). In the last two years, eight new U.S. Bicycle Routes have been approved, and 41 states are now involved in planning, implementing, and signing routes. At the state level, agencies are developing unique route networks, some which will dovetail with the USBRS. For example, last year, Oregon quadrupled the number of routes in its statewide scenic bikeway system and is researching and mapping others. The states of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin are working to develop a bike route system around all of Lake Michigan. Also, in the Great Lake region, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust recently announced that the Waterfront Trail, which extends along the shore of Lake Ontario, will now extend westward to Lake Erie, connecting 27 new waterfront communities along a signed, mostly on-road route.
  4. More North America States and Provinces Studying Bike Tourism?s Economic Impact: Until now, only two states in the U.S. (Wisconsin and Colorado) had conducted in-depth studies of the economic impact of biking and bike tourism. In Wisconsin?s case, researchers found that bike tourism generated an impressive $924 million from in-state and out-of-state visitors. In 2012, three more states began economic impact studies, which will be completed in 2013: Oregon, Michigan, and Arizona. A new study of the economic impact of La Route Verte, the provincial cycling network in Quebec Province, is also underway.
  5. U.S. Bike Events Expanding, Re-branding: Attendance and fundraising at large multi-day bike events ? like RAGBRAI (Iowa), Ride the Rockies (Colorado), and the popular Bike MS events ? are surging. In fact, the national organization of bike-event directors has re-branded itself as the Bicycle Tour Network (BTN) and, in November, experienced the largest turnout ever at its annual conference in Denver, Colorado. The BTN has begun conducting an economic impact survey of its member events and hopes to draw in smaller tour operators as part of the network.
  6. States Investing in Bike Tourism Public Relations: In a clear indicator that states and tourism bureaus are realizing the financial value of cycling tourists, 2012 witnessed the rollout of major investments by Oregon and Minnesota in TV spots, websites, and other public-relation devices to draw traveling cyclists to their states. Particularly notable were videos produced for Oregon by the global ad firm Wieden+Kennedy, and for Minnesota with the backing of a unique consortium of health, tourism, and non-profit organizations. The race for the most bike-travel friendly state is on!
  7. Rural Communities Invest in Bike Tourism: Over the last several years, more rural communities have discovered that attracting cycle-tourists is a low-cost, high-yield proposition. Adventure Cycling Association has documented the efforts made by many small communities ? from Twin Bridges, Montana to Monroeville, Indiana ? to develop special facilities for visiting cyclists. The most recent to come to its attention is a unique partnership in Pittsburg, Kansas, to develop a cyclists? visitor center on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.
  8. Bike Tourism-Related Sales Take Off in the U.S.: In October, the influential trade journal, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News reported on the substantial increase in sales of gear and bikes for touring in its story, ?Touring market racks up mileage at retail.? The same article also noted that bicycle travel is becoming especially popular with a younger demographic.
  9. Non-Profits Set New Records: Cycling non-profits with a stake in tourism have enjoyed remarkable success in membership and activity in 2012, from the re-branded Bicycle Tour Network to the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) to Adventure Cycling Association. Adventure Cycling's membership reached an all-time high in 2012 at 45,225 members and it recently reported records in all the major revenue categories ? including memberships, map sales, and tour sign-ups ? a trend it attributes in part to the new boom in bicycle travel.
Photo: From the 2012 Visiting Cyclists Gallery on Flickr, by Adventure Cycling Association.

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NEWS, NETWORKING, AND NEW MEDIA is posted by Winona Bateman, Adventure Cycling's media director, and highlights cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) and meet-ups related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel. Writing a story about bicycle travel or Adventure Cycling Association? You can contact Winona via email: pressATadventurecyclingDOTorg. Visit our media room, view our news releases, or follow us on Twitter.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/12/9-indicators-that-bicycle-travel.html

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