BicycleSpokesman.com http://bicyclespokesman.com A Bicycling Blog Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:03:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 en Bicyclespokesmancomhttp://feedburner.google.com Ghost Bike - One Year Later http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Bicyclespokesmancom/~3/AbbRQ61D_t8/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/ghost-bike-one-year-later/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:03:38 +0000 spokesman http://bicyclespokesman.com/ghost-bike-one-year-later/ A little over one year ago, Alice Swanson was killed in bicycle traffic accident in Washington D.C.  At the time, I wrote a blog post featuring a video of the ghost bike that was placed at the scene of the accident as a memorial.

The ghost bike has become a fixture in the neighborhood.  It is located at a busy intersection and is seen by thousands of people everyday.  However the large sign that said “Cyclist Struck Here” is long gone and the messages written by her family and friends have faded.  Fresh flowers are regularly placed on the bicycle.  I think that many people in the area who are unaware of ghost bikes or the accident think it is just a piece of art.

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]]> http://bicyclespokesman.com/ghost-bike-one-year-later/feed/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/ghost-bike-one-year-later/ Tour De France Youtube Channel http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Bicyclespokesmancom/~3/4V0-GEz8jXM/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/tour-de-france-youtube-channel/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:42:28 +0000 spokesman http://bicyclespokesman.com/tour-de-france-youtube-channel/ The Tour De France has an official Youtube channel.  It has videos in both French and English.  The english language videos have english titles.  Each day on the channel, there is a preview of the upcomming stage by Bernard Hinault; the five time Tour winner.  Given the drama that appears to be unfolding between Armstrong and Contador, Hinault’s perspective should be very interesting.  The potential conflict between Armstrong and Contador may be the biggest internal team conflict since Hinault and Lemond were teammates. 

On the subject of videos, here is a link to a youtube video parody of a Jan Ullrich comeback. 

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]]> http://bicyclespokesman.com/tour-de-france-youtube-channel/feed/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/tour-de-france-youtube-channel/ A Biking Tale of Two Cities http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Bicyclespokesmancom/~3/4tOiQA2dxos/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/a-biking-tale-of-two-cities/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:19:23 +0000 spokesman http://bicyclespokesman.com/a-biking-tale-of-two-cities/ I read two newspaper articles this weekend about bicycling.  The New York Times had an article entitled “Biking Among The Ruins” that discussed bicycling in Detroit.  The significant decrease in population and the lower level of economic activity have reduced the car traffic on the streets and have created a great environment for cyclists.  The article does have some positive news including a new bike shop that opened downtown.  The second article is from the Washington Post and is entitled “For The 8th Time, Lawfulness Is Gone With The Schwinn“.  The article tells the story of a Washington D.C. resident who had 8 bicycles stolen.

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]]> http://bicyclespokesman.com/a-biking-tale-of-two-cities/feed/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/a-biking-tale-of-two-cities/ If Lance Armstrong Was The Governor Of Texas http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Bicyclespokesmancom/~3/TKJdcbUhrto/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/if-lance-armstrong-was-the-governor-of-texas/#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:01:42 +0000 spokesman http://bicyclespokesman.com/if-lance-armstrong-was-the-governor-of-texas/ Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed the “safe passing bill” last week.  The bill would have required drivers to give a clearance of at least three feet when passing a bicyclist.

Commenting on the veto, Perry said “While I am in favor of measures that make our roads safer for everyone, this bill contradicts much of the current statute and places the liability and responsibility on the operator of a motor vehicle when encountering one of these vulnerable road users.”  So I guess the problem is that if the bill became law and a driver ran over a cyclist, he would be responsible.  I believe that cyclists need to follow traffic laws, but there are too many impatient drivers that pass cyclists way to close.  This is just another example of a state government looking to harm cyclists.  See my previous post on a Delaware initiative that I named How To Kill A Bicyclist. 

There have been rumors that once Lance Armstrong finishes his bicycling career, he would turn to politics.  I am sure that if he were governor of Texas, the bill wouldn’t have been vetoed.   We need Lance in office.

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]]> http://bicyclespokesman.com/if-lance-armstrong-was-the-governor-of-texas/feed/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/if-lance-armstrong-was-the-governor-of-texas/ Happy Father’s Day http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Bicyclespokesmancom/~3/Y7gYcug_ew0/ http://bicyclespokesman.com/happy-fathers-day/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:18:49 +0000 spokesman http://bicyclespokesman.com/happy-fathers-day/ Child playing with a gasoline lawn mower

Remember the good old days, when Dad would let you play with the gasoline powered lawn mower.

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