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Image: Rocio Abrego/ Unsplash.com Believe it or not, there was a time when highways didn’t exist and people had to use a maze of roads to get to their destination. Then, on November 11, 1926, U.S. Route 66 opened, allowing people to drive from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Route 66 was used until the middle of the 20th century, when it was replaced by the Interstate Highway System, then…

Hello, Everyone: We’re into the second week of June and it is finally feeling like summer, and I’ve switched over to my summer wardrobe of t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. Plus, I’m out doing some regular riding. Hope you all are as well. This past weekend saw the start of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (formerly the Criterium du Dauphine). The race occurs across 8 stages and is considered the primary…

Image: Fred Pixlab/ Unsplash.com Every year on June 3, the beauty of the bicycle is celebrated during World Bicycle Day. This day/ event is where cyclists from all over the world join together to illustrate how the bicycle can improve the quality of one’s life and even, perhaps, help to make the world a better place. A grand idea, perhaps, that a person, people, or society on a bicycle can…

Image: Cycling 2025 Calendar Hello Everyone: And just like that, it’s now June and the first month of summer. The days are sunnier and longer and mostly warmer, although still with some cool nights. So, in my opinion, ideal. But from now until September or so, it should get even warmer with less rain. Enjoy the cool nights, which are, of course, excellent for good sleep. Over the weekend, the…

Image: Abubakar Milan/ Unsplash.com Innovation in engineering goes hand in hand with bicycle building to make them safer, faster, and more comfortable, so cycling teams can perform at a high level and everyday riders can be happy with their purchase. Felt Bicycles is no stranger to this concept. The company introduced innovations through engineering that have helped shape the cycling industry.…

Hello, Everyone: Welcome to another week in May and the second week of the Giro d’Italia. despite some big crashes early in the race, Jonas Vingegaard took his third win and a solo victory in Stage 9. This was Vingegaard’s 50th career victory. Today, May 18th, is a rest day, which is to be followed by an individual time trial tomorrow. As reported here last week, I’m currently traveling in…

Image: Haute Route France Website Are you an amateur cyclist with pro cycling inclinations, or a cyclist looking to experience the type of race that mirrors a pro cycling event? There are plenty of events or trips you could take with a bicycle travel company to have this type of experience. But there’s only one amateur race that comes close to riding in something like the Tour de France. If you…

Hello, Everyone: I’m currently traveling outside the United States for the next couple weeks in Australia, so my posts may be a bit spotty based on available time and wifi. This past weekend, the Giro d’Italia got off to a dramatic start with a big crash that took out the UAE rider Adam Yates. Not sure who else was injured, but the crash/pile-up looked pretty horrendous with another rider taken…

Hello, Everyone: I hope you all are enjoying May so far. The weather continues to be unpredictable and highly mutable where I live in the Midwest. Therefore, it hasn’t been overly conducive for bike rides. April 28th to May 3rd, the Tour of Romandie took place in Switzerland, an early season race consisting of six stages. Tadaj Pogacar dominated the race and added Romandie to his growing bag of…

Image: Cycling 2025 Calendar from Amazon.com Hello, Everyone: Welcome to May 2026, the fifth month of this fast-moving year. The month is starting on a cool note, but probably in line with late spring temperatures, not too warm but not too cold either, somewhere right in the middle. This month will see the 109th edition of the Giro d’Italia, which takes place in most of May, where the pros…

Hello, Everyone: Welcome to the last but not full week of April. On Friday, May will be with us. Hard to believe the year is close to being half over. I hope you are fitting in some good bike rides between the raindrops and reappearing cold days that seem to occur without warning this time of year. Last week saw two big bike races. On Wednesday, La Fleche Wallone took place and saw the 19 year…

Image: Richard Gabriel Moritz/ Unsplash.com As cyclists, we all have different aspirations. For some, it is the joy of being out on a good but challenging ride with friends or on your own. For others, it is riding and completing an event. Still, another segment needs to satisfy an urge to pit themselves against other cyclists and to be rewarded for that effort in the public eye. If you are the…

Image: Robin Vintevogel/ Unsplash.com Liege-Bastogne-Liege is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the spring classics. First held in 1892, the race is also one of the five main monuments that pro riders can compete in during April. Its nickname is La Doyenne (the old lady), and the route travels through the Ardennes mountain range in southeastern Belgium for 250 kilometers (155…

Hello, Everyone: Believe it or not, we are looking at the last full week of April. Last week, the weather was unseasonably warm with temperatures in the 80s. But yesterday and today, winter came back for one last short visit. Spring weather can have some crazy extremes, from very cold to very warm, with some rain and even snow flurries mixed in. This past weekend saw the Amstel Gold Race, yet…

Image: Phong Luong/ Unsplash.com With the cost of everything escalating and AI stealing our jobs out from under us, you might find that the cost of an out-of-state or international trip is out of your financial reach. Plus, with the planning involved it takes to figure out the details of a trip and working within time constraints, a trip away to anywhere just might not seem feasible. With that…

Hello, Everyone: It’s another new week and we are already halfway through April. The good news is that winter appears to be over with a summer pattern for the week ahead in the forecast and temps in the 80s. Next week looks to be a little milder, but for the most part, the cold, dark days of winter are over and gone, and I say good riddance and welcome to long, warm sunny days, baseball,…

Image: UCI Gran Fondo World Series Website One of the fantastic things about Europe as a cycling destination is that you can find (and participate in) bike rides across the continent. There are sportives (gran fondos) every month in every country you can think of during the spring, summer, and fall. They are either straight-out races or races mixed with non-competitive events. One of the places…