Unless you live under a rock somewhere, you know that Le Tour de France begins tomorrow in the fabled cycling city of Brest. While there will be no shortage of race coverage elsewhere, Urban Velo will celebrate the world’s largest sporting event by highlighting some of the great cities the tour visits.

Brest is best known in the cycling world as the halfway point in the fabled 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris randonnée, which started in 1901. The city is an important French seaport and has been the site of numerous wartime struggles. In fact, nearly every building in Brest was destroyed by the end of WWII. Thankfully a few ancient structures still stand as tourist attractions, and the city remains a popular destination for fans of food, soccer, sunbathing and (of course) cycling.

Among the most popular tourist attractions in the Brittany region is cycling along the Canal de Nantes à Brest, a 360km route which links Brest to Nantes. Le Tour arrives in Nantes on July 7th. The ancient Gallic city has been called “the most livable city in Europe” as well as the “greenest city in France.” Just don’t let anyone talk you into a “Republican marriage” if you visit.

Brad took his camera to Toronto this spring to cover the Cycle Messenger World Championships. Visit www.urbanvelo.org/cmwc2008 for more than 80 photos from the 2008 CMWC.

Daniel Holloway showed his urban cycling chops by winning the first and last stages of the Tour of Pennsylvania. Holloway’s dominance in the two crits—one in Philadelphia, the other in Pittsburgh—came as no surprise to those who know the 21-year-old. He’s the current national criterium champion, a terror in the velodrome and an avid speed skater.

From the start of the race it seemed clear that the man in the red, white and blue jersey was determined to win. Unfortunately, heavy rains and a tornado warning made the event promoters decide not to count the sixth and final stage in the overall standings, leaving Holloway far behind the overall tour winner, David Veilleux. Holloway’s team (VMG/Felt) did prove to be the best overall in the general classification, though. Click here for more race coverage.

Special thanks to Trek of Pittsburgh for providing us with a bird’s eye view of the race.

The Baltimore bicycle community welcomes you to the Mid-Atlantic Bicyculture gathering on July 25th, 26th, and 27th. The first event of its kind, the organizers hope to promote bicycles as more than just a means of alternative transportation, but as a way of life. In promoting bicycle-awareness, the three-day gathering will host an array of events ranging from races and group rides, to art, music, workshops, bike films and (of course) parties!

Visit www.bicyculture.com for more information, and hopefully we’ll see you there!

For the second year in a row, the Creamcycle alleycat will take place in Pittsburgh on July 4th. Meet at 2pm in the park near Friendship Circle (across from the hospital). Entry is $5, and the whole production is intended to raise awareness of testicular cancer in people 18-35.

The first ever Tour of Pennsylvania begins today in Philadelphia. The six-stage road race will cross the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and finish in Pittsburgh, highlighting the city’s 250th anniversary.

For more information visit www.tourofpa.com.

It’s often said that fixed gear bikes aren’t any good for distance riding. Tell that to Jeff Bauer and Kevin Kaiser, the two-man team who just completed the Race Across America. The team each rode a Salsa Casseroll with 48×17 gearing, finishing in a time of 8 days, 4 hours and 21 minutes.

And let’s not forget Team Adventures for the Cure, who rode Surly Steamrollers. One of their riders is shown in the video below doing 36mph on a fixie. For more RAAM news, results and photos, visit www.raceacrossamerica.org.

The World Naked Bike Ride went off without a hitch in London this past weekend. The purpose of the ride is twofold—to remind drivers that cyclists and pedestrians are vulnerable and need to be looked out for, and to protest the world’s dependency on oil.

Melvin Heng’s photos on Flickr give you a good idea of what the spectacle looked like. Visit www.worldnakedbikeride.org for more info on the ride, and stay tuned for coverage in the upcoming issue of Urban Velo from our man on the scene.

While Jeff was working the video camera throughout the Bicycle Film Fest New York trip, Brad was snapping stills. Click through for a gallery of images of the riding at the Bootleg/Peel Sessions and the Trackstar Block Party.
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Part two of our Bicycle Film Festival coverage continues under the BQE in Brooklyn at the Bootleg/Peel Sessions. Several of the riders featured in issue #7 were on hand—racing, skidding and pulling some pretty sick tricks. While the above video isn’t nearly as good as the Bootleg Sessions DVD, it gives you a good idea of what John Prolly and company are up to in Williamsburg.