Bicyclists Ride To FunLan Flea Market

In downtown St. Petersburg last week it was terrific to see all the bicyclists who pedaled to the farmer's market.

Here in Tampa, I bike to the FunLan drive-in flea market for my fruits and veggies. The demographic socio/economic slice of the crowd might be different that the one in St. Pete but the one similarity is the bicycle use.

I can't think of another place in Tampa that has as many bicyclists using the two-wheeler as a mode of transportation as here. Check out the mid-Sunday morning bicycle lockup scene.




Here's a typical Tampa scene. A guy on a bike with a boatload of stuff biking on the sidewalk against traffic. I have stopped to chat with these folks and they say they prefer the sidewalks and also mention they grew up biking against the flow of traffic.

The SHBC's Bicycle Variety

The Seminole Heights Bicycle Club has cyclists who like riding all types of bicycles. Check out the chariots of the bicyclists who came for Saturday morning's River Ride.

Here's the sweet tandem built by Steve Swiger, who included a terrific front fork with a shock up front.


Amy's single-speed has a nice basket with a lovely lining.


Ken's bike has added a rear bag for storage.


April commands the kids trailer with Ian on the back.

A Bicycle With Storage In The Back

On Friday at noon, I was sitting at a table in downtown St. Petersburg at Central and 4th urging folks to ride a bicycle instead of driving a car to work -- and I also was promoting the 2008 Bicycle Bash by the Bay.

I can't say the event drew hundreds of people in downtown St. Pete as a variety of folks ranging from government workers to homeless guys stopped by to check out the commuter choices tables and get free pizza.

Like this fella who came with a rig with an impressive cage in the back.


Let's take a close look at that trunk in the back. Oh so roomy.

BALCO Cycling Perjurer Faces Home Confinement

Former top cyclist Tammy Thomas faces six months of home confinement for lying before a grand jury about steroids and BALCO.

Please don't use steroids. Here's Tommy -- uh, I mean Tammy -- during her steroids-fueled cycling days. Reports of her shaving her face made the trial.

It's Prime Time: Rays vs. Red Sox in St. Petersburg

I was in St. Petersburg today to promote the Bicycle Bash by the Bay at the commuter choices event in downtown St. Pete. After I handed out flyers and chatted with folks, it was off to the Trop area -- or the Dome District as it's called for Game 1 of the mega-showdown for the American League championship between the hometown Rays and the villian Red Sox.

The best place to watch tonight's Rays-Red Sox game?. That's a no-brainer: Ferg's. It's the spiritual heart of Rays Nation, a wooden floor bar and grill across the street from the Trop. And the place was rocking hours before the 8:37 p.m. tilt between the Rays and the Bad Guys.

The best way to arrive? By bicycle, of course.


Yes folks: That's St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker cavorting with the governor of RedSoxNation.com (the woman, not the guy who muscled his way into the pic).


There was a steady stream of Rays fans looking to get a free mohawk courtesy of Somers Salon & Spa at Ferg's. The women of Somers descended like a NASCAR pit crew on the gentlemen's hair and executed mohawks in a mere 10 minutes apiece.








This fella is getting ready for his free mohawk. He doesn't seem to happy about the hair-do he's about to receive. Good thing he still has that Bud.


This is Tampa Bay, so you know someone is selling beads. This lady is the mysterious bead seller, declining to offer her identity.


Anyone who shows up with a Rays sombrero gets an automatic appearance on the blog in honor of Mr. Jeff Houck's Sombrero Project.


This fella is named Charlie, and he's a lawyer who lives near Tyrone Plaza in St. Pete and came up with this witty $10 T-shirt and also created blue mohawks that strap on your head for $5.

We Scream For Ice Cream

My good pal Barry Allen, who used to work with me at the Palm Beach Post, is a terrific photographer who sends me this cool bicycle shot of his son from Denver.

Today's Commuter Stop: Clearwater

Few people in Florida have thrown themselves into the Velo-World as much as Chip Haynes of Clearwater, who has written about bicycling and built dozens of homemade bicycles and basically loves bicycles.

Chip had created the flyers for this year's and last year's Bicycle Bash by the Bay and has devoted much of his spare time to the bicycle world. He was in Clearwater today for a mid-day Bay Area Commuter Services event to encourage folks to get out of single-person commuter cars and look at alternative ways of getting around such as by bus or bike.

Here's two of the region's two bicycle icons -- Chip and the famed Bicycle Bash by the Bay rolling billboard.


Dave from SWFBUD member store Chainwheel Drive came to represent Chainwheel Drive at the Bay Area Commuter Services' mid-day event in Clearwater today.


Sue Ebner from Bay Area Commuter Services helped organize the mid-day events in different Tampa Bay cities, such as Clearwater for today's gathering.


Chip's bicycle inventory is diverse.