Italian Moms on Bikes

Since my friend is still looking for her replacement "mom's bike", I thought I'd post all the mothers (and fathers!) we captured out cycling in Italy.

 When I saw these bikes waiting outside the bakery I knew there would be a family of cyclists nearby.

 Sure enough, ten minutes later I heard the older child happily chatting with her mother as they safely cycled through the walled city of Orvieto.

 This mother in Florence has both of her children on her way into town on the dedicated bike lane along the river.

 This mother and her daughter were navigating the piazza near the Duomo in Florence.

 This family was parking near the Spanish Steps in Rome.

 Riding as a family in Villa Borghese seems to be the thing to do on Sunday. Bonus points if you bring a picnic lunch!

Some cyclists even appear to get their start on the safe walkways in Villa Borghese.

This little girl was enjoying her lollipop as Dad cycled home along Via del Corso, which was closed to traffic several times while were were visiting.

This little girl was quite relaxed heading off somewhere with her mom and dad. I even caught her yawning!

You're unlikely to see a little girl balancing on a bike like this in Boston!

Up Close

This lovely cyclist zipped by us so close and so quickly I could barely get her photo. It's a pity that shorts season is coming to an end, she's rocking them with those ballet flats.

There is a bike lane all along the river in Florence. It's a great way to zip across town, and a great place for watching chic cyclists!

Two Tone Mixte

I loved this "swoopy" mixte for its Black & White color scheme. Why does Europe get all the funky mixtes?

Sunflowers

Most of the Tuscan sunflowers were faded by the time we got there, so these cheerful sunflowers in Rome had to suffice.

Florence Cycle Chic

Of all the cyclists I saw in all of Italy, this man was far and away the most wonderful. There really isn't much to say, I think he's just perfect.

I'm Back!

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the silence, we had a WONDERFUL trip in Italy and I have many hundreds of photos to go through, so stay tuned for Italian bikes and cyclists.

In the meantime I want to tell you about a bike we saw without a camera, but which made us smile. It was a brushed titanium frame, no decals, white cable housing, and a single white Apple computer sticker for a headbadge. Yeah, it was pretty cool.

Otherwise photos coming, I promise!

Bicycle right from the Denver Airport

I wasn't prepared this time, but perhaps on my next trip to Denver I will be ready to avail myself of the designated bike route that has signs posted all over the airport.

Here you can see that the bike route starts inside the terminal!


Viewed from Passenger Pickup, these are the bike signs that mark the route (look at that hot sun and plan to bring water!):


This is the only bike parking I saw at DIA, making me think there is either an employee shed somewhere or they mostly envision this bike route for travelers.


Here are examples of the signage along the road:



This route is not for the faint of heart. People who have done it report that riding so close to cars zipping by at 70 is nerve racking (but something they would do again). Still, I'm just happy that some facility has been made to make a distant and rather inaccessible airport more accessible.

MassBike has information about riding your bike to Logan.