Enjoy your weekend!
By Jan Balet
To see more artwork inspired by bicycles click here.
an assortment of 2-wheeled inspiration – mostly bicycles
Tags: bicycle art, bicycles
Thinking about Elspeth Beard today as I pack up my motorcycle for a long weekend tour. I’m heading south to the BMW Motorcycle Owners International Rally in Pennsylvania to check out the latest and greatest motorcycling gear from custom earplugs to battery chargers, rendezvous with friends, listen to some great live music, take a riding course and be transported by adventure travel presentations.
Back to Elspeth. I only recently learned about her and was instantaneously impressed with her intrepid spirit, and am more than a bit jealous of her bravery. In 1980, at age 24, Elspeth dropped out of architecture school and began a solo around-the-world motorcycle journey. (Today she runs a successful architecture firm in England and still rides.)
Her travels took her from her native London to the U.S., up to Canada and down to Mexico and then on to Australia. From there she headed to Indonesia and then Burma, India and Nepal. Her route home took her through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and Europe. By the time she returned to England, after three years on the road, she’d clocked 48,000 miles on her odometer and lost fifty pounds. She survived crashes and illness and rebuilt and maintained her bike single handedly.
I love the confidence and ease Elspeth exudes in this photo while straddling her 1974 R60/6 BMW. She stopped and made the aluminum panniers part way round the world.
Read more of Elspeth’s amazing story here. I hope she writes a book someday about her adventures. It’s tales like hers that light my imagination and make me realize that almost any dream is possible if I really want it to come true!
I’ll get back to blogging when my motorcyle’s back in the barn.
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Tags: 1980's, motorcycle, travel
A picture is worth a thousand words.
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Tags: bicycles, bike racing, Tour de France, vintage
130 year old legendary French sporting brand Le Coq Sportif has something to crow about at this year’s Tour de France. Once again they are providing the prestigious Yellow, Green, Polka Dot and White jerseys for the race. Le Coq made jerseys for Le Tour starting in 1951 until 1988 when Castelli moved onto the scene. Nike was involved from 1996 to 2010.
1951 Tour de France winner Hugo Koblet’s wool “maillot jaune”. Note the pointed collar and button front placket, a style which disappeared a few years later. Jerseys made prior to the introduction of synthetic fabrics in the late 70′s had button front pockets like the ones shown here. The Le Coq label is visible at the neckline.
An evolution of Le Coq Sportif logo. Via: Cycling Art Blog
1974 Tour champion Eddy Mercx in Le Coq’s yellow jersey. Via: Le Coq Sportif
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Vintage Cycling Toys
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Tags: bicycles, bike racing, Tour de France, vintage
Love this vintage Swiss postcard of feline bicycle racers from the 50′s. The astonished looks on the faces of the contenders and spectators at #15′s blow out, #13′s cool shades, and the mice on the course make it priceless! Have a wonderful flat-free weekend!
For more 2-wheeled inspiration click here.
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Tags: bicycles, bike racing, postcard, vintage
The 98th Tour de France begins today with a 180 km 1st stage in Passage du Gois, and ends on the Champs-Elysées in Paris on 24 July.
This drawing by famous sports cartoonist, Pellos celebrates the fiftieth year of the Tour de France in 1963. The candles on the cake represent Tour wins and depict caricatures of the then contemporary champions, along with the great winners of the past. Race director Jacques Goddett peeks out from beneath the table while the imposing mountains of the Alps and Pyrénées smile widely in anticipation and memory of cycling’s greatest race.
Jacques Anquetil who won his fourth Tour in 1963 can be found in the far right candles, celebrating his three Tour victories at the time.
Tags: bicycles, bike racing, Tour de France
You never know what you’ll see when you’re out pedaling your bike! This flowery cyclist topiary was spotted near Goshen, Connecticut by my cycling pal Ali while she was out for a ride. Made me start dreaming of possibilities for topiary beyond the traditional forms of cones, spirals and birds. Just another reminder to always take your camera (phone) with you! Have a nice weekend everyone!
I’ve been following French cycling champion Jeannie Longo’s career since the 1980’s. I was thrilled beyond belief when she mounted the podium to accept her gold medal at the 1986 World Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colorado clad in one of my Mountain Ladies & Ewe knit earflap hats!
Last week, 52-year-old Longo powered her way to her 11th French national time trial championship win and her 58th national title, leaving riders half her age in her wake.
“A 58th title is a figure somewhat symbolic because it (1958) is the year of my birth,” said Longo. “This is the one I wanted and it really has made my season.”
Longo is accomplished on both the road and track and is an Olympic gold-medalist and twelve-time world champion. While champions come and go, she has been an inspiring and impressive constant in women’s cycling.
Despite the fact that she will be almost three times older than some of her rivals, she has indicated that she wants to ride the world championships in Copenhagen later this year. My hat’s off to you Jeannie!
Tags: bicycles, bike racing, knit, Mountain Ladies & Ew
What do you call a bunch of women motorcyclists who are yarn-a-holics? Purl’s Angels, Moto-psycho Knitters, The Close Knit Gang? We can’t decide either!
On a recent weekend adventure, a group of landlocked gals headed for the coast of Maine in search of twisty roads, lobsters, and yarn! On Saturday morning, while the men in the party were off getting haircuts, we immersed ourselves in a fiber artists heaven called Halcyon Yarns in Bath.
Motorcycling and knitting seem pretty incongruous and we all had a good laugh at ourselves as we crammed colorful skeins of yarn into our tank bags and next to our tents. We’ll be knitting up a storm until the road beckons us again. Now all we need is a name for our “gang. We’re taking suggestions…
I’ve been fascinated by bicycle gear ratio charts since back in the days when racing bikes had only 10 speeds. I enjoy comparing the difference even a single tooth can make in the size of a gear.
The Chromatic Guide To Gear Ratios poster combines my passions for color, good design and gear ratios. Its design abandons the standard grid format and places the chart inside a chainring with spokes radiating from the center. It’s a pleasure to look at – even if you’re not interested in knowing what size gear you’re pushing.
Click for more bicycle inspiration
Tags: bicycles, color inspiration, poster
Today professional cyclists will line up for the start of the famous one-day French classic cycling race, Paris-Roubaix. Often called “The Hell of the North” or a “Sunday In Hell” because of the kilometer long sections of jarringly torturous cobbles that the riders must navigate.
First run in 1896, Paris–Roubaix is one of cycling’s toughest and oldest races. Since 1977, the winner of Paris–Roubaix has received a sett (cobble stone) as part of his prize.
Here are some classic photos of past races.
An undated file photo shows Maurice Garin posing with an unidentified man. Italian-born Garin twice won Paris-Roubaix (1897-98) before winning the first edition of the Tour de France in 1903. AFP PHOTO/FILES
1928 winner Andre Leducq. AFP Photo
The peloton passes through Cardin in 1934. AFP PHOTO
You might also be interested in this post or excellent cycling photos by Chris Milliman.
Photos via: VeloNews
Tags: bicycles, bike racing, vintage
These vintage cycling toys bring back memories of my first solo adventure. Just after college I toured around Europe, skiing and visiting museums and friends, my only luggage a backpack and a ski bag.
I made two memorable purchases that trip. One was a down duvet for my bed (they weren’t available in the U.S. back then), which I crammed into my ski bag, and a toy model of a Tour de France team vehicle. The latter became slightly problematic as I didn’t want to remove the lime green Renault from it’s box, for fear that the tiny bicycles and extra wheel sets clipped to the roof rack would snap off. I ended up awkwardly hand carrying that box around, including in my lap during the flight home. It was a perfect metal replica of the Renault-Elf-Gitane team car and had doors that opened. Team and sponsor logos were plastered on its body and hood. I had never seen a toy like it before and was ecstatic that it represented Bernard Hinault’s team, my cycling hero at the time. For the life of me I can’t remember what happened to it. I hope that eventually I’ll open a long forgotten box and find it again. If I do, I’ll post a photo here!
French board game celebrating Velodrome d’Hiver, the great indoor race track of Paris.
Toy Tour de France peloton riders
1950’s toy Jeep bicycle racing team service vehicle
Toy motorcycle
Tour de France pinball game
Vintage toy that operated on batteries to roll across the floor, alternating lead riders, and which featured cycling champions
Toy broom wagon
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Photos: Cycling’s Golden Age
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Tags: bicycles, bike racing, Tour de France, toys, vintage
For those pedal pushing fashionistas who abhor wearing a bicycle helmet, the new Hövding invisible bicycle helmet might persuade them otherwise.
Hövding looks like a collar and is worn around the neck while cycling. In the event of an accident, a hood-shaped airbag within the collar is triggered to inflate around the cyclist’s head. Unless sensors detect an accident, the airbag remains concealed in what looks like an ergonomically shaped fashion accessory.
The Hövding, a blend of intelligent technology and fashion will be available in the spring for about $360.00. For more info click here.
Instead of using a standard address marker to point the way to their Vermont home, an avid cycling couple transformed this old bicycle into a welcoming and playful sign, which they placed at the end of their long dirt driveway. What a great idea!
To see another cool use for old bike parts click here.
“Like” my Poppy Gall Design facebook page to see what sorts of projects we’re working on and to become an interactive part of the studio. Thank you!
Tags: bicycle art, bicycle sculpture, bicycles