Today, May 1, starts National Bike Month.

Let’s all hope the weather finally makes a turn for the better. MassBike has a whole slew of things to do this month, something almost every day, no matter where you live.

Don’t miss the 12th annual Par-tay at Redbones on Monday, May 19 (benefits MassBike and NEMBA). Barbecue, beer and bikes: what’s not to like? Ride your bike, they have free valet parking for bikes. Or take the T (Davis Sq, red line). If you’re in a car, you’re on your own.

But one of the best things you can do to celebrate Bike Month is register for the New England Classic.

Photo © Knox Gardner

Hello All, As many already know, there will be a Memorial Service for Sheldon this coming Sunday, March 2 at 1:30pm. It will be at the First Unitarian Society of Newton, across the street from Harris Cyclery.

Details and a map link are at www.harriscyclery.com

Prior to the service there will be a memorial ride starting and ending at the shop:

Meet at 10:45 AM in the parking lot behind Harris Cyclery for an informal memorial ride before the service. Departure will be at 11:00. Distance: approximately 25 miles, pace slow to moderate. The ride will go by way of Weston to Water Row in Sudbury (water level permitting!), one of Sheldon’s favorite places to ride, and will return by way of Lincoln.

Fixed gears, hub gears, whatever you’ve got, are all welcome.

Please pass the word.

Elton Pope-Lance Sudbury, MA

If anyone is interested, I’ll be leaving from the Copley Square area around 9:00. Harris is an 11 mile ride from there. Please RSVP so I can know how many to wait for. It should be around 40 degrees, cloudy, and dry.

Riding into Boston may not hold much appeal for back country cyclists, but for city dwellers there’s nothing like cruising around town. And now there’s some hope that in the future, urban cyclists may face a lower risk of life and limb when pedaling the streets of the Hub.

The city’s Boston Bikes program has announced plans to add 5-foot-wide bike lanes on Commonwealth Avenue between Kenmore Square and the BU Bridge. The bike lanes are being added this summer as part of a planned reconstruction of Commonwealth through the Boston University campus.

It’s not a long stretch but it’s a start, and it’s an area notoriously dangerous to navigate for cyclists, many of whom roll out from the surrounding universities.

Jim Gillooly, deputy commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department, told the Boston Herald the Commonwealth Avenue project provides an opportunity for a first step. “It will be an evolution,’’ he said. “We certainly want to take the bike accommodations and build upon them.”

Once completed the Commonwealth Avenue lanes alone won’t eliminate the troubles faced by city cyclists. But like the crocuses we hope to soon see poking out in gardens around New England, bike lanes on Commonwealth Avenue could be a harbinger of better days to come.

Quickrelease.tv talks to the pros. Pro thieves. And they come up with 10 tips for protecting your bike.

via Fritz

Yield to Life is a new initiative founded by world class racer and cycling funny man Dave Zabriskie.

“Yield to Life is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a safer environment for cyclists and, by so doing, encouraging more people to ride for their own health, the good of the environment and the well being of society.

“By making cycling safer and promoting the activity as a responsible means of transportation and a healthy means of recreation, Yield to Life can contribute to tackling some of today’s major concerns—from such issues as pollution and global warming to obesity and diabetes. In this way, Yield to Life can play a role in increasing the quality of life not only for cyclists, but for everyone—for our generation and those to come.

…

“Yield to Life will engage in a vigorous awareness campaign to promote positive attitudes toward cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect, and appreciation for all life on the road. Safety for every cyclist is the top priority of Yield to Life.”

Yay for awareness!

To that end, here are 10 tips for cyclists.

And 10 tips for motorists.

We at NEC are always touting safety. It is our number 1 concern on the ride. Only good things can come from this.

DZ is is currently with Team Slipstream, was formerly with CSC and US Postal, is 2006 National ITT champion, and stage winner of Tour de France (and a terrible crash), Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España. He’s really, really good. Super good.

Sheldon Brown has died.

From Harris Cyclery:

Sheldon Brown: 1944 – 2008

Dear Harris Cyclery friends and customers,
It is with heavy hearts that we convey to you the news that Sheldon Brown has passed away. Our thoughts go out to his family at this time. The cycling community has lost one of it’s most passionate members.

I, as I am sure most other area cyclists, often encountered Sheldon on rides. I don’t think he ever rode the same bike twice, always with some sort of weird contraption. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who knew more about bikes than he and everyone, at some time or other, has been saved by the vast store of cycling information available from his website.

Our heartfelt condolences to Harriet and the family.

Boston and the cycling world have suffered a great loss.

Please post your remembrances or links to web tributes in comments below.