We’re back in Zhoukou now, and our Big Tour is in the books. So what have been the best parts and the parts we would change? What did we learn? What were the surprises? There were a lot of firsts. It was the first time we’d boxed our bikes for air travel, and we had no problems, for the most part. People were universally kind and friendly. In Laos they would always wave and call […]

The route this week took us to some bona-fide tourist destinations, including the beautiful ruins of Vat Phou, a smaller cousin of Angkor Wat, and it’s village of Champasak. The kingdom of Champasak was independent until the French forced it to be part of Laos around 1945. The ruins of the unfinished new palace are visible along the road. From there it was back across the Mekong via ferry and on to the 4000 Islands. […]

Since last week we have pedaled through innumerable villages and dodged countless cows, goats, and the occasional water buffalo and scorpion. I am continually thankful I brought some masks along because there has been quite a lot of dry-season ditch burning going on. For the most part we have kept to our itinerary, except for compressing three days of riding into two to save more time at the end. We crossed paths with another touring […]

A Letter from the BicycLincoln Board of Directors This year marks a new phase for BicycLincoln. In 2018 we will finalize our 501(c)3 non-profit status. This will allow us to take a more formal role in a variety of projects, from seeking grants to partnering with both private and public entities to develop programming.   As part of taking this step, BicycLincoln is expanding its board and encourages anyone passionate about increasing cycling for transportation […]

A few days before we were scheduled to leave for our cycling tour down the Mekong river from Vientiane, Laos to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I heard from our guide that he couldn’t lead the tour. His two Germans had to cancel and he couldn’t do it with just us. Then he said something that changed everything:”I’m sure you can cycle without a guide.” Well, sure, I cycle around Zhoukou all the time without […]

The past week has been a little warmer, above freezing and dry, so with winter break on, I’ve finally gotten to do more riding. Steve slipped trying to brake on black ice about two weeks ago, and while riding doesn’t bother him so much, starting and stopping does. We’re hoping his hip’s healed up enough to not cause problems on our upcoming bike trip to Laos and Vietnam. We fly to Bangkok Saturday. That has […]

There seems to be some similarity of riding conditions between Zhoukou and Lincoln recently. Though we haven’t had temperatures below the teens here in Zhoukou this winter, it has been unusually snowy. Spring is considered to begin after Spring Festival, A.K.A. Lunar New Year, February 15 this year. Palmettos, peanuts, and cotton are common sights, with some farming continuing in greenhouses surrounding the city all winter long, so you know the winters are milder here. […]

It’s finally warmed up and the ice ruts have melted away. This means the training Steve had delayed must now be in earnest. Why training, you may ask? My occasional riding partner for thirty-some years, Steve, and I are planning to leave on a bike tour from Ventiane, Laos to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in three weeks. You may say that it’s too late to train, but I won’t comment. As anyone long married […]

tl;dr version: No, they haven’t found my two stolen bikes. And it’s not likely that they will. It’s a surreal moment, that moment when you pull up Lincoln Nebraska Stolen/Missing Bikes or Nebraska Stolen Bike Alert and start to type “STOLEN!” You’ve read too many of these posts. You know the exact format: make, model, color, distinguishing characteristics, location of theft, type of lock breached (because we all want to know). You’ve simmered with rage […]

Grades were submitted early last week, so I had visions of long, happy rides through the countryside to celebrate. Mother Nature had other ideas however, in the form of the biggest snowfall in about 10 years for Zhoukou. Sure, we get more snow and lower temperatures in Lincoln, but they’re not set up for it here. There is no snow removal equipment other than people with regular shovels, and a few excavators borrowed from some […]