We laughed, we mocked, we were incredulous, but the indomitable spirit of bike racing doesn’t give up. The organizers of the insanely ambitious Tour of America announced they still plan to hold a coast-to-coast race in September 2008, but they’ve decided to cut down the distance and stages.

“We realized our first plans were perhaps too ambitious and that the original race schedule didn’t fit within standard racing protocols,” said race organizer Frank Arokiasamy. They’ve decided to cut the race down to 21 stages and 2,200 miles, beginning in New York’s Central Park and winding across 18 states before finishing up in Palo Alto, California. Read more at VeloNews.

More bike stuff below…

Photo by Alex Draude is from “Shakariki Knight” (or “Trick Night”) in Okazaki Park or Takaragaike Park, Kyoto, Japan. See the photoset of Japanese boys on their fixed gear bikes.

Does anybody else have this problem? I always lose my handlebar end caps on every road bike I’ve ever owned. Is there a secret to keeping these?

My front brake lever came loose so I did this today.

Thanks for the link love from:

Rabbi Ludwig.
Take the Tooker.
Doc Logan.
Roger Kramer.
VeloReview.
Masi Guy.
Pedaleiro.
Cycle Dog.
Sewing my shadow.
Industry Outsider.
Bike Portland.
Kind Pow.
Left in SF.

Time to catch up on some links.

• Spinning world record attempt. 112 hours on a stationary bike. With video.
• Sue asked me to link to this about biking for polar bears. And she continues to post many many bike haikus, so I’ll just point to her blog.

Photo “Pizza delivery by bicycle” by Matty Lang and used with permission. More bicycle news below…

I have a bus haiku. It’s a true story.

       White pigeon swoops low.
       Bird dodges highway traffic.
       Thud on bus windshield. 

CenterLines is the newsletter of the U.S. National Center for Bicycling & Walking. Here are some tidbits from the December 12 issue.

• They have a podcast discussing bicycling and walking advocacy efforts.
• Chico Velo’s cute “Turn a pedal, melt fat” video PSA, which was also mentioned at Bike Commute Tips.

• This Energy Counter shows how much states in the Northwest spend each day in energy. Comes with cool widgets that you can put on your website, too.
• Alcoholic bought a bicycle and found new life.
• Freikers in Bouler, Colorado (for “frequent bikers) win prizes for riding their bikes to school.

Oh, by the way, I have a Facebook account or profile or whatever you want to call it. If you know my real name feel free to look me up.

US Pacific Northwest Energy Spending Today: 0

You can apparently use bicycles to smuggle drugs. (edited with a good link)

Bicycles are also suspected in a museum theft. Says a detective: “If I was going to do a job like this, I’d do it on a mountain bike because people don’t notice that sort of thing and when people are racing to the scene of the crime they’re looking for cars, they’re not looking for people on bikes.”

Nine banks robbed by serial robber on a bicycle. What makes this criminal especially malicious: “We think he rides a bike and ditches it and then gets in a car. We think he’s stealing the bikes.”

Pedestrian death prompts crackdown on law breaking cyclists. Just like they do when motorists kill somebody. Oh, waitaminute…

Soglin’s criminalstupidity about shooting bicyclists makes the news. When somebody blogs about shooting teachers, they get arrested. When they talk about shooting cyclists, it’s just subtle humor.

Dooring kills. Beware.