Cycling Sites for Spring

With the recent return of warmer weather, many people have brought their bikes out from winter storage and have started riding again. To help you enjoy cycling more this season, here are some websites that you may want to visit.

• Google Maps has now introduced bike directions. Go here, type in your start and end points, and Google will try to determine a route that utilizes bike paths, streets with bike lanes, and others that have been recommended by cyclists. Please use common sense when using this service. Bike directions for Google Maps is still in beta, and my early searches have shown that it can route you on some busy streets. For a real world review, check out this NPR story.

• Founded in 1880, the League of American Bicyclists is one of the oldest cycling advocacy groups in the country. This site is a fantastic resource if you are interested following legislative efforts to help improve the conditions for bicyclists throughout the US. Additionally, the League sponsors Bike Month, which is held each May. For more information about upcoming Bike Month events, including ideas to help celebrate Bike to Work Day on May 21, go here.

• We mentioned it last year, but it bears repeating this year: If you are looking for an organized ride to go on this year, the League of Michigan Bicyclists has published the 2010 Michigan Ride Calendar. They also publish What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know, which is an excellent guide that describes the rules of the road as they pertain to bicyclists.

• Do you enjoy riding, are want to find out more about what is happening in the ranks of pro cycling? VeloNews is a one stop source for excellent information about professional cycling. You can also catch professional cycling on Versus.

• Complete issues of Bicycling magazine issues from 2006-2008 are able to be viewed and searched at Google Books. This is a fantastic resource, especially if you have an upcoming ride and need to find some training tips.

• Need to fix your bike? The videos at bicycletutor.com can help you if you want to fix it yourself.

Enjoy the weather, have a great season, and may the climbs be short and you suffer no flats along the way!

More Cycling Sites for Summer

Have you been using MapMyRide.com to track your bike ride routes? Here are several other sites to help find new bike routes, keep track of your training, join organized rides, and more.

• The Detroit News has an interactive map of local Metro-Detroit bike trails.
• Want to keep track of how many miles you've ridden? Bicycling Magazine has a free, online training log.
• Take a look here for cycling events happening around Michigan, courtesy of the League of Michigan Bicyclists.
• It's almost Tour de France time! This year's edition starts July 4 in Monaco. You can follow the media reports, but do you want to get closer to what the participants have to say about the race? Follow these Twitter feeds of some professional cyclists. (Lance Armstrong isn't on this list, but he can be found here.)
• Speaking of the Tour, here is a preview of all 21 stages.

Have fun this summer riding and may you not experience any flat tires along the way!

Plan Your Bike Rides With MapMyRide.com

It was a long time coming, but finally spring has sprung here in Troy. Leaves are on the trees, baseball is being played in local parks, and people are back outside riding their bikes.

If you are interested in planning new bike rides this year, you may want to check out MapMyRide.com. By plotting points on a Google Map, this site will calculate the mileage of your bike ride. You can save routes, and search for rides other users have created. For example, here is the route with round-trip mileage from Metro Beach in Harrison Township to the Grosse Pointe War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms:


The site also has many other features. A training log keeps statistics of your rides, including time, distance, speed, and calories burned. Discussion forums allow you to connect with other cyclists. It also integrates with popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and features apps for the iPhone.

If you are a cyclist, it is definitely worth a look. If you don't ride, you still may want to check out these sites that are built on the same website platform for walking, running, or hiking.