In the second week of racing the 2020 Tour de France headed west in the Charente-Maritime département before heading across France to the Alps, visiting the Jura and Massif Central in the process. The second week of racing saw team tactics change. Teams start out with hope and as it becomes clear they cannot win the overall race, the strategy changes to trying for stage wins. The first week of the three week Tour de France is on the record books now and we have settled into a familiar groove with a little excitement thrown in. The race started out in Nice and due to wet weather and nerves among the riders, there were a lot of crashes taking out some contenders before the race got very far. The three lap format enabled riders the first chance to really to size up the competition and fans to begin picking their favorites. The second stage started and returned back to Nice with a mountain stage in between. It is unusual to have climbing so early in the event. We got to see a favorite from last year attack, Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, which made for some thrilling racing and allowed him to capture his first yellow jersey of the year. The next stages rotated from flats suited for the sprinters to mountain suited to the climbers. The first summit finish on stage 4 identified the likely contenders, but everyone has a different list of who that might be, so this just means that the race is currently wide open with no clear favorite. Of course, even when there is a strong team and a favorite, there is always the chance of a surprise result due to the risk of crashing, injury, illness, crosswinds, and weather--anything can happen in the Tour de France. Two more weeks of fun. Long live the Tour de France! The 2020 version of the world’s greatest cycling event is later in the calendar this year, but it is still taking place--at least the initial stages. The 107th edition of this grand tour is steeped in tradition, but this year some things will be different and some things will still be the same. The fact that Tracy and Peter Flucke bicycled across the country on a tandem 4,362 miles is amazing. What enhances their recounting of the adventure is their willingness to share all the details, from why they decided to do it, how they trained, the bicycle equipment, a day by day log of the cycling conditions and destinations, people they met along the way including some heartwarming acts of kindness towards them, and personal challenges and triumphs. All of these are documented in their book, Coast to Coast on a Tandem. They provided highlights as guest speakers at the Evanston Bicycle Club meeting on Tues. Aug. 18, 2020. If you've discovered the joy of cycling during the pandemic and are now looking for a way to learn more about the sport of cycling and keep up to date on the cycling scene all over the world, you should check out VeloNews. According to Betsy Welch, Senior Editor at VeloNews the VeloNews team is based in Boulder, Colorado and it publishes a magazine and website. Betsy was the guest speaker at the July 21 Evanston Bicycle Club meeting and she provided a glimpse into what are the current trends in cycling as well as some of her own cycling adventures. With all the non-profit bike organizations in Chicago such as Working Bikes, West Town Bikes, the Recyclery, Bikes N’ Roses, and Blackstone Bicycle Works, is there room for another non-profit devoted to bikes? Free Bikes 4 Kidz, a national non-profit that focuses on collecting and donating bikes for kids, now has a Chicago chapter that promises to fill a void with their focus on bikes for kids. If you are like many other people coming out of a COVID-19 lockdown, you are wanting to enjoy the warmer weather on a bicycle. Riding a bike is a way to get outside while being socially distant, get exercise, run errands to the grocery store, pick up take-out food, and commute to work, without the expense of operation and parking of a car or risky public transportation. In many cities including Chicago space is being reclaimed on streets with pop-up cycleways making safer cycling infrastructure. But unless you already have a bike or acted a month ago, you have probably found it difficult to purchase a new bike today that costs under $1000. The shortage also includes kids bikes and some bike components like tires and tubes. Why is there a short supply at this time? Image you have a superpower traveling around the streets of Chicago—flying down the streets, feeling the breeze on your face, watching the pavement rush past underneath, while making all the traffic lights, and not breaking a sweat. If you are a food delivery person during this time of COVID-19, imagine experiencing all these benefits AND tripling the number of deliveries you can do in a day and your income? All of this is possible on an ebike. Electric bikes (ebikes) have been popular in Europe for over 10 years, but they are now growing in popularity in the United States. They have traditional bicycle components like wheels, chain, saddle, and a handlebar but they also have a motor, battery and display that provides a boost, also called pedal assist. This assist can be a huge benefit then trying to haul goods, go long distances, or travel at a faster pace. Wednesday, April 22, 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. Every year billions of people all over the world call for action to protect the environment on this global day of observance. Due to COVID-19 this year’s call to action is not marked by gatherings, rallies, or group bike rides, but the sentiment still applies. With a stay at home order in affect and less fossil fuel vehicles on the road, scientists have reported a significant reduction in air pollution in the last month. If we could only figure out a way to sustain this trend when our lives return to normal! One way is to expand cycling as the preferred mode for everyday transportation. Cities where residents bike, walk, and use public transportation have significantly lower CO2 transport emissions than those that rely on private vehicles even when factoring in the footprint of a bike’s manufacture and maintenance. Last fall Troy Henikoff and his daughter made the trip from Evanston to Toronto where she was going to begin her first year of college—on a bicycle built for two! To even think of undertaking such a trip on a bike indicates they are a “cycling” family AND they are not afraid of a challenge. At the April 21 Evanston Bicycle Club virtual meeting they reported that the trip was a success, after they overcame a few unplanned challenges along the way. |
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