Around the World in 195 Days ... On a Bike

This from a post on blog.sierratradingpost.com by Allie Comeau:
Circumnavigating the globe is a great challenge, but doing it on a bicycle in 195 days is an incredible feat.

Riding in the Artemis World Cycle Challenge, Mark Beaumont rode through 20 countries, including the U.S., Thailand, Pakistan, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, in only 7 months.

In addition to shattering the previous bike-around-the-world record of 276 days, he also beat his personal goal of 210 days. As soon as Guinness verifies the trip, he’ll have a world record.

Beaumont kept a web diary in order to chronicle all of the hardships and excitement along the way. It’s an extremely interesting read. Beaumont, a vegetarian, talks about how he had to eat meat sometimes to keep his calories up, how hard it was to find healthy food options in the U.S. and Australia, and what it’s like to ride a bike in Istanbul (”terrifying”).

The Artemis World Cycle Challenge raised money for several deserving charities and earned Beaumont a world record, but I think it’s the cultural lessons that are the most important. For example, we need to stop eating so much junk food and be nicer to people on bikes.

Watch the CNN interview with Beaumont.

Fat Tire Entries Available For a Limited Time

If you're looking for a fun point- to-
point off-
road race for you and 1,699 of your closest friends, look no further than the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40. The 40-mile off-road event traverses roads, fire lanes, the Birkie Ski Trail and ATV trails from downtown Hayward, Wis., to the Telemark Lodge in nearby Cable. I've done this race several times and it has been a highlight of each season.

The catch is there are more people who want to participate than there are entries availalbe, so you must put your name in the hat for a randomly drawn lottery. Entry forms are available on the Fat Tire web site. Froms must be postmarked by March 15 for consideration. This year's race — the 26th annual — is Saturday, Sept. 13.

What a Bright Idea!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.



SMIDSY from Quickrelease.tv on Vimeo.

This Warms the Heart on a Cold Winter Night

Heading to D.C.

With the support of the International Mountain Bike Association, the Wisconsin Off Road Bicycling Association and Ripon College, I'll be heading to our nation's capitol in March to participate in the 2008 National Bicycle Summit.

Hosted by the League of American Bicyclists March 4-6 in Washington, D.C., the Summit brings together hundreds of passionate cyclists to walk the halls of Congress and show the power of our numbers. The Summit also includes an informative day of concurrent sessions covering the most important cycling issues.

For more info on the Summit, go here.

Let Levi Ride

A group of Levi Leipheimer supporters has created a new Web site and online petition in an attempt to change the ASO's decision to exclude his Astana team from the 2008 Tour de France.

"On February 13th, the Amaury Sports Organization (ASO) barred Team Astana from competing in any race or event organized by the ASO in 2008. The ASO owns premiere cycling events like Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Tours, and the famed Tour de France.

The ASO cited the doping scandals of last year’s Tour de France as justification.

There can be no comparison between the Astana team of 2007 and the new Astana. The entire organizational structure has been rebuilt under the direction of the team’s new General Manager, Johan Bruyneel, who has thoroughly cleaned house. What’s more, Astana has adopted the rigorous doping controls developed by anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, and Astana now spends more money on anti-doping controls than any other team in the pro peloton."

While this effort is likely to have little impact on the stodgy ASO leadership, visit the Web site and sign the petition: www.letleviride.com.

You Say You Want a Velorution?

Ripon College announced a bold new initiative today aptly called the Ripon Velorution Project.

The program is designed to help ease the College's vehicle parking issues, while at the same time reducing the campus' environmental footprint and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Incoming students starting their first college semester at Ripon this fall will have the option to sign a pledge this spring saying that they will not bring a car to campus for the duration of the upcoming academic year. Those who participate will be given a brand-new Trek 820 mountain bike, a Trek Vapor helmet and a MasterLock U-Lock to keep.

For more information, visit the Ripon College Velorution Project Web site.

Read the story at The Chronicle online.