Tips & Reviews
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Al Young, Shifting Gears, My Global Bike Odyssey (including an interview with the author)
Al Young, Shifting Gears, My Global Bike Odyssey (including an interview with the author) Shifting Gears: My Global Bike Odyssey by Al Young Trafford Publishing, Victoria, 2005 (See the end of the review for details on how to purchase… Read full article
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Critical Mass Cyclists Should Get Involved in Local Government, Too
Critical Mass Cyclists Should Get Involved in Local Government, Too Critical Mass Mentality Thoreau praised civil disobedience, and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‚’ 60s validated it. But Critical Mass cyclists owe it to themselves and to… Read full article
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In Praise of Bicycling and Women by Nineteenth-Century American Women: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Robins Pennell and Frances Willard
In Praise of Bicycling and Women by Nineteenth-Century American Women: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Robins Pennell and Frances Willard “The world is our great book of beauty and romance, and on your cycle you can gradually master it, chapter by chapter, volume by… Read full article
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Too Much Tuscan Sun (Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide) by Dario Castagno
Too Much Tuscan Sun (Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide) by Dario Castagno Anyone with a foot in two cultures and fluency in two languages is a lucky person. This describes Dario Castagno, author of “Too Much Tuscan Sun.” Born… Read full article
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Provence by Lawrence Durrell
Provence by Lawrence Durrell Lawrence Durrell belongs to a group of travel writers who go back to the British expatriates of the early and mid-20th century. He lived most of his life in the Mediterranean region and has left a… Read full article
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Read Any Good Books Lately?
Read Any Good Books Lately? We usually try to make sure our book reviews have at least something to do with cycling, or hiking, or the places we visit and their history. But that’s not all we read! At a… Read full article
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Are you a Bicycle or Walking Advocate?
Are you a Bicycle or Walking Advocate? Our friend, Verdiana Vandini, still bicycles to the gelateria for gelato (Italian ice cream) at age 75! Shown here in February 2005 in Italy Variables in your local bike and pedestrian advocacy program:… Read full article
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War in Val d’Orcia by Iris Origo
War in Val d’Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944 by Iris Origo Reviewed by Rick Price, Ph.D. In southern Tuscany, just south of Siena, is the Valley of the Orcia River, the “Val d’Orcia” in Italian. The photo… Read full article
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Beyond Lance
Beyond Lance Though I may not be Lance Armstrong’s number one fan, I’m up there. I’ve followed his career since 1990, and I knew of him as a promising young US cyclist before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.… Read full article
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Songbirds, Truffles, and Wolves (An American Naturalist …
Songbirds, Truffles, and Wolves (An American Naturalist in Italy) by Gary Paul Nabhan Colin Fletcher, one of the great walkers of the 20th century (The Man Who Walked Through Time and The Complete Walker) advised his readers to find something… Read full article
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Heft on Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180 by Mike Magnuson
Heft on Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180 by Mike Magnuson Heft on Wheels makes no secret of its subject matter. On the front, we have a photo of author Mike Magnuson, naked, obese and miserable riding his… Read full article
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An Interview with Mountain Bike Legend Joe Breeze
An Interview with Mountain Bike Legend Joe Breeze Mountain bike pioneer Joe Breeze recently came through Fort Collins to promote the more utilitarian side of cycling. In a heavily attended presentation on “Healthy Transportation Choices Now” at the Fort Collins… Read full article
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Tips & Reviews / Travel Planning / Travel Tips
How to Clear US Customs Faster
Our Travel Tip this month comes from longtime customer and frequent traveler, Dave Forester. Here’s what Dave suggests to save time clearing US Customs. Enroll in the U.S. Customs & Border Protection’s “Global Entry” system, known as “GOES”. This allows… Read full article
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On Italian Politics, Landscapes and Two Movies about the Po Valley
On Italian Politics, Landscapes and Two Movies about the Po Valley The Tree of Wooden Clogs (L’Albero degli Zoccoli) by Ermanno Olmi, 1978 1900 (Novecento) by Bernardo Bertolucci, 1976 I’ve been observing Italy since 1966 when I first visited this… Read full article
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The Tour de France Companion by Bob Roll
The Tour de France Companion by Bob Roll Bob Roll’s Nuts, Bolts and Spokes on the famous Tour This is a great book, just out, for those of us who haven’t had time to follow the Tour de France every year… Read full article
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To the Ends of the Earth by Paul Theroux
To the Ends of the Earth by Paul Theroux One of my favorite things about airports is visiting their bookstores. I like to wander among the cramped aisles in search of something to read during the long hours passed crossing… Read full article
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Giving Good Weight: Unmasking Food Writer John McPhee
Giving Good Weight: Unmasking Food Writer John McPhee My all time favorite food essayist is John McPhee. This may come as a surprise, mainly because McPhee writes about so many things (his interests are even more eclectic than mine, it… Read full article
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Fort Collins Keeps Silver Medal as Bike Friendly Community
Fort Collins Keeps Silver Medal as Bike Friendly Community In a press release from LAB headquarters in Washington, D.C. May 16 the League wrote: “Sixteen cities across the United States can celebrate the start of national Bike to Work Week… Read full article