Poet. Rapper. Quaker. Cyclist.

These are words that are rarely used in the same sentence, never mind being used to define the same person. Yet they are specifically the words that one would use to describe John Watts, an off-beat singer/songwriter that explores themes of faith and faithfulness, growing up Quaker, the environmental crisis, war, personal accountability, and inward peace, through performances of the spoken word.

The eclectic artist recently announced that he will embark on his 2010 Two Wheel Tour Tour, and instead of a tour bus or even a friend’s conversion van, he’ll make the trip- from Richmond to Boston- completely by bike.

I’ve known for a long time that the centeredness required to be faithful to the music I’ve written is contradicted by the superficiality and hurriedness in the typical career of a professional musician. – John Watts

The bike Watts chose for this significant tour? An Xtracycle Radish.

Stay in touch with Watts and hear clips from the tour on Facebook and Twitter!

Riding in the bike lane in Lisboa, Portugal is more than a simple means of transportation. This bike path, situated near a river, is adorned with a poem by Fernando Pessoa, a famous Portuguese writer. The poem is in homage to the river, and provides riders with a visually stunning path to ride along. Let’s just hope they still pay attention to where they’re going.

[Via: Huffington Post]

There are many things that make Fort Collins a unique place to be a bike enthusiast, but the one that presents the most challenges for those biking in the downtown area has to be the train tracks.

Now, the train presents special frustrations for motorists as well, but at least they can cross the tracks without worrying that they might suddenly get a close up view of the pavement.

The City of Fort Collins encourages bikers to access the downtown area via less trafficked streets, like Mason St., Howes St., Remington St., Mathews St.,  Laporte Ave. to Walnut, Mountain Ave., Oak St., Olive St. and Magnolia. However, using these streets also means that you’re probably going to encounter some train tracks.

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Well it looked like we might be in for an early thaw here in Northern Colorado, but despite the local groundhog’s best efforts, it looks like we’re in for a few more weeks of cold.  But ice and snow don’t have to mean your bike must stay tucked away in the garage.

Here are some helpful tips for first time winter bikers, and timely reminders for those who’ve been riding ice for years!

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I’ve been following this guy’s blog, its amazing. Desktop virtual travel at its best….
whileoutriding