Joff Summerfield is biking around the world. Not only is his feat impressive -- to date, he's already cycled more than 8400 miles! -- but he's doing it on a 19th century penny farthing bicycle, one of those bikes that boast a front wheel with a 47-inch diameter; sport a tiny little nubbin of a back wheel; and has neither chains nor gears. Much like Rosie O'Donnell, he's top-heavy and dangerous.

Wearing a traditional English pith helmet, Summerfield left London on May 1, 2006. Since then, he traversed Europe before crapping out from dysentery and altitude sickness in the Middle East. As such, he had to pause his trip to recover. Now healthy, in November, he returned to Oceania to keep pedaling.

Currently in China, Summerfield plans to cover 36 miles each day while spending under $10 a day. (Maybe Ember'll buy him lunch.) On such a restrictive budget, Summerfield is forced to sleep in a tent, cook on a stove, and slurp from water bottles. He plans to spend 6 months in China, Myanmar, and Hong Kong before heading to North America.

For some pretty amazing pictures from his journey, check out his website.

Dominic Gill is attempting to cycle 20,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America. Lots of people (well, not lots, but some) make this trip; what's so special about Gill? He's tackling this journey on a tandem bike -- and he's asking the people he meets along the way to help pedal! What a fun idea.

Claiming one of the most interesting aspects of cycle touring is meeting folks along the way, Gill was concerned that such meetings would be limited to stopping-off points. Therefore, by riding a tandem bike solo, he figured there'd be a good chance he'd meet people willing to pedal. So far, over half his trip has been solo. As he heads into South America, I bet his chances of recruiting fellow passengers diminishes -- unless he speaks globish.

Naturally, Gill is filming, photographing, and blogging (irregularly) his journey. He also recently gave a short but interesting interview to Vagablogging. If you're interested in pedaling with him, send him an email. He's looking for some extra legs.

I've been here for three weeks and I'm pretty sure that yesterday was my first "bad day." Okay, perhaps "bad" is the wrong word for it. I'd have to say that what started as a good day became a low day, a sad day, a frustrating and annoying day. . . a day when I wished I were home and not here. . . for just an hour, perhaps. I could have even found solace in twenty minutes. (They need to invent that transporter device from Star Trek already!)

The air was thick with a mixture of pollution and desert dust and there was a cool wind. Beijing was crying for rain but the tears wouldn't come from the sky. Wind cut through my clothes as I went to fetch my new bike (second-hand – thanks Sarah! – but new to me) so that I could take it out on our honeymoon ride.

The thing about bicycles in Beijing is that they're fearless, they're everywhere, they're irreverent and they're their own characters. I know that it's people who ride these bikes, but there seems to be a network of bikes themselves, like a secret society of Beijing bikes that meet at "koumen" (intersections) at all hours of the day to discuss how to better rule the roads. You can almost see them greeting each other in passing.

They're as alive as this city.

I could write about cycling in Beijing for days. I'm sure this will be one of many posts on the subject. I've been observing the clambering chaos between pedestrians, bicycles and cars and after one week I have come to the following conclusion: bikes are in still in front.

They win the power struggle every time because they have the right to both abide by traffic laws and reject them. They seem to have no regulation whatsoever. All in all, the bikes of Beijing are anarchists.

Righteous.

Giving new meaning to "underground" railroad bicycle route, on March 10th, organizers staged a World Naked Bike Ride to protest against oil dependency and car culture. Missed it? Me, too. Don't fret, though. There are more to come.

On June 9th and 30th, the organizers are staging additional WNBRs all over the world to continue their protests against indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies. Painting your body, painting your bike, painting the town, and other creative expression is strongly encouraged. From the looks of it, lots of people were certainly expressive during the March protest ride.

If this sounds like something that oils your chain, check the list of locations, stock up on sunscreen, and plan a road trip. Oh, wait... does a road trip defeat the purpose?

(WARNING: The WNBR site is NSFW.)

If you're looking for a theme for your next cross-country bike ride (aside, of course, from the obvious theme of "cross-country bike ride"), then you might want to check out the Underground Railroad route. Though there are a number of routes that made up the historical Underground Railroad network -- clandestine paths by which slaves attempted to escape both before and during the Civil War -- the Adventure Cycling Association chose to map a route guided by the song, "Follow the Drinking Gourd."

The 2058-mile route begins in Mobile, Alabama, and winds north through river valleys and wildlife refuges, before culminating in Owen Sound, Ontario on Lake Huron's Georgian Bay. Along the way, the Route passes a number of highlights, including Africatown, Hal's Lake, and several important churches.

The Adventure Cycling Association has maps for the route available ($56 gets non-members the complete set of 5). Alternatively, you can go on a guided tour with the Association, if you can spare 5 weeks.

[Via Getoutdoors]

Recently, Paris announced plans to make bicycles available to the city's commuters, strollers, and tourists for free. Working with French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA -- which received access to more than 1600 publicity sites in exchange for providing the bikes -- the City plans to have in excess of 14,000 bikes by this summer, and more than 20,000 by the end of 2007. To borrow a bike, users visit one of the 1400+ stations around the city, hand over a swipe-card, get a bike, and roll away. Bikes may be returned at any station.

This sounds like a great idea to lower pollution. However, I wonder if thousands of cycling tourists, confused by unfamiliar signage, disoriented by winding cobbled roads, and dazzled by the beautiful buildings surrounding them, will cause more headaches for Paris than it resolves.

My prediction? By the end of the year, every intersection currently manned by art vendors will have boys with tire tools and pumps showcasing their wares. I wonder if JCDecaux SA secured the rights to advertise for all the bike repairmen.

What do you think? Is this idea a magnifique way to pump up the city's image, or is it stupide, certain to deflate?

Gear heads will love this article in the Sunday Times. Jeremy Clarkson, host of the super-cool British TV show about high-end autos (Top Gear) has gotten himself the ultimate travel vehicle: the JetCat Cycle. It's powered by a model-aircraft jet (the JetCat P-180), which produces up 1100 lbs of thrust, running on a mixture of wax and jet oil.

The engineers claim that the bike might be able to reach a maximum speed of 70 mph! And, even though he'll be speeding by you, don't get too close: the jet shoots out a 10-foot-long, super-heated stream behind it.

Clarkson admitted that he's only gotten it up to 20mph so far, but he's ready for anything: in addition to the Kevlar housing around the jet, and a wicker basket upfront to hold the fuel tank, they fitted it with a smoke machine. "With a smoke screen, you really would beat the [City of London traffic] congestion charge cameras and speed cameras as well," he was quoted as saying.

Ok, so maybe it's not the greatest vehicle, but it's sure one stealth way to travel.