Doomsday Bicycle Tour Lets You Ride To The End Of The World

by Melanie Renzulli on

What do you want to be doing when the world ends in December? If your answer is exploring Mayan temples ruins, gazing upon volcanoes and waterfalls, and basking in Central America‘s warm autumn sun all from the seat of your mountain bike, then Tour d’Afrique has a pretty epic tour for you to consider.

Tour d’Afrique’s Doomsday Ride is a 2,300-kilometer (1,429-mile) transcontinental bike expedition along the “Ruta Maya” timed to coincide with the end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar. The trek begins in San Jose, Costa Rica, on November 17, 2012, and follows a winding, but well-scouted, route through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. It concludes at the Lamani Mayan Temple outside of Belize City, Belize, on December 21, 2012 – the supposed date of the apocalypse.

Along the way, participants will get to check out Mayan ruins at Tikal and Copan; the great colonial architecture in the city of Granada, Nicaragua’s erstwhile capital; and villages, markets, rainforests, volcanoes, crater lakes and many other slices of life and nature off of the tourist track. If you can’t take off for the full five weeks of the expedition, Tour d’Afrique offers three shorter sections that average between 10 days and two weeks.

To learn more about the tour, the route, rates and schedules, check out Tour d’Afrique’s La Ruta Maya – the Doomsday Ride Blog.

Adventurer Prepares For Global Triathlon

by Kraig Becker on

British adventurer Dan Martin is about to embark on an epic challenge that he calls the Global Triathlon. The journey, which is set to get underway from New York City any day now, will see Dan circling the globe completely under his own power, and just like any other triathlon he’ll be swimming, cycling and running the various legs. In this case, those legs just happen to be substantially longer.

All triathlons, regardless of length, always start with a swim and Dan’s is no different. In this case, however, that swim involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He’ll first enter the water in the Hudson River and start heading east, continuing to do so until he makes landfall in France. Along the way, Dan will be escorted by a support boat, which is where he’ll sleep, eat and rest while en route. At the end of each day, he’ll crawl on to the boat, replace as many burned calories as he can and try to regain his strength for the next day, when he’ll return to the water and continue on.

To date, only one other person has managed to swim across the Atlantic. Back in 1998, French long distance swimmer Benoit Lecomte managed to accomplish that feat in just over 73 days. Lecomte’s efforts are contested by some, however, because he didn’t use a GPS to strictly track his progress. Dan hopes to allow others to follow his progress via his website, keeping the world updated on his position at all times.Once he does arrive in France the cycling stage of the journey will begin. Dan will climb aboard his bike and start peddling across Europe and Asia – in the dead of winter no less. If everything goes as planned he’ll eventually end the bike ride in the city of Anadyr, located in Russia’s far east. From there he’ll hop across the Bering Sea and start the finale leg of the Global Triathlon, running from Uelen, Alaska, back to New York City. When he’s done, Martin expects to have covered roughly 18,640 miles.

Dan actually thought that he would be underway by now, but a few logistical hiccups have prevented him from getting started on time. Nonetheless, he and his support crew are currently in NYC and they hope to have everything ironed out soon. You can follow his progress and updates both on his Facebook page and through his Twitter feed.

Good luck Dan!

[Photo courtesy Dan Martin]


New Bike Club In China Allows You To Cycle On The Roof

by Jessica Festa on

While rooftop lounges, bars and pools are common, have you ever heard of a rooftop bike club? Holland-based NL Architects is bringing Dutch bike culture to southern China with a new concept in cycling.

The rooftop velodrome is actually part of a resort in Sanya in the Hainan province, and will feature a pagoda roof with curves and inclines to increase cyclists’ speed and velocity. Moreover, underneath the track are restrooms, a glass-enclosed cafe and a bike rental area. To get downstairs, a large staircase sits in the center of the track, which appears to float in the air.

Completion of the rooftop bike club is set for the end of 2012.

[photo via nl architects]

Win A Trip To The Tour de France From Cannondale

by Kraig Becker on

Are you a cycling fan who has always dreamed of attending the Tour de France? Then Cannondale has a Facebook contest with a prize specifically designed for you. The company is giving one lucky fan a chance to attend the race in July and actually become a member of Team Liquigas-Cannondale for a week.

In order to win the contest you’ll first have to “Like” Cannondale on their Facebook page and then click on the Tour de France icon to fill out the online form. In addition to providing basic contact information, you’ll also be asked questions like who your favorite rider on the team is and what your prefect ride is like. Answering those questions creatively will go a long way toward gaining some attention and impressing the judges, who will select 25 finalist for the next round of the competition. If you make the cut, you’ll then be asked to create a short video introducing yourself more fully.

The winner of the competition will receive an all expense paid trip to attend the Tour, where they’ll get to hang around backstage at the race for a week. They’ll also get to ride in the team car, hand out water bottles, help prep the bikes and more. And if that wasn’t enough, the winner will also receive a new Cannondale SuperSix EVO, a bike that is valued at more than $5500. The EVO has been called the “Best Bike in the World,” which means it should be more than adequate for your next spin around town.

The contest closes on May 31st, so you’ll have to hurry to get signed up. With a little luck, you could find yourself in France this summer.

[Photo credit: Steven Eckelberry via WikiMedia Commons]

Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenity: Pedal-To-Power LCD Television

by Jessica Festa on

For those interested in keeping vacation weight off while also doing something good for the planet, the Cottage Lodge in Brockenhurst, United Kingdom, is offering a unique amenity. Instead of allowing guests to turn on the television the old-fashioned way, the bed and breakfast features a pedal-to-power LCD television in their Standing Hat room.

The purpose of the unusually active method of television powering is purely environmental. While you’d think some travelers may not be happy about having to work to turn on their TV, the accommodation has actually received positive feedback, especially from cyclists.

“I focused on three things when constructing the room: reducing waste, minimizing pollution and using resources with the lowest impact possible,” the hotel’s owner, Christina Simons, explained to the Telegraph. “I also wanted to show that being green can also be exciting and fun, and guests love cycling on the bike.”

And for those with low stamina, don’t worry, you also have the option to make use of the electric supply generated by photovoltaic cells on the roof, so you’ll still be going green while you travel. In fact, the hotel utilizes many sustainable features, like solar panel heating in the summer, heating via a wood burning stove in the winter, low-impact building materials and furniture created by a local tree surgeon from a single fallen beech tree.