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Madison was a great city to bike around (at least, in the mild summer weather). I was able to get from somewhere about 10 miles South of the city to my friends’ house across the isthmus (and then later to the airport on my bike) almost exclusively on bike paths (Badger Trail -> SW Commuter Trail -> Capitol City Trail -> Starkweather Creek Path). And there was good cycling infrastructure (paths, signage, lanes, even bike tools and stands along the trails), a decent city bike rental system, and apparently low bike theft given the number of nice bikes I saw secured with only a thin cable lock around the top tube (one day I even forgot my keys and left my bike unlocked outside all sorts of businesses outside the city… though I don’t recommend that). ...

Sunday was a good day: How often do you get to ride all day, along the Bay, and through fragrant fennel fields? Or bike on smooth, paved, separated paths across two major bridges (the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and the Carquinez Bridge)? ...

Bike rack outside a chiropractor’s office.

The BikeMike Copenhagen Evening Zen Tour: “One stop only as we let the passing cityscape and natural environment do the talking. Hard to believe it’s a city bike tour. We bike through rural areas without ever leaving the city of Copenhagen. Come and join this wonderful ride through beautiful mood pictures of Copenhagen when she is stressing down from another busy day and try to do the same yourself. The tour experience embraces the philosophy: “When we bike, the city does all the talking, when we stop, we do the talking”. Treat yourself to the luxury of two hours of total calm. You’ll hear more birds singing than cars racing by… Please understand and respect that no talking at all is accepted during the bike tour. Silence is a big part of the experience.” ...

Another day in Copenhagen, another itch to point the bike in a direction and explore under the wide-open sky. Apparently I lucked out and this was the first sunny week all year. My phone showed a large green area , labeled “Kalvebod Fælled" criss-crossed with car-free paths (thanks, Google maps bike layer) between the city and the airport. But what is it? From Wikipedia: ”[Kalvebod Fælled] consists of reclaimed sea bed, with a number of former islets making up small isolated hills; it was dammed and drained during the 1940s to serve as an artillery training range. […] Most of the area, however, lies as lightly maintained parkland featuring a range of nature types, from young forests to tidal marshes […] After years of preparation the area was finally cleared of unexploded munitions and fully opened to the general public on October 15, 2010.“ ...

Copenhagen’s close to Sweden, and I couldn’t resist the excuse to head over for an evening (to be honest– partly just to be on my bike in yet another country, though the train across the ocean was also an experience). It’s a small, casual city, with old and new architecture, a lot of cobbled streets less pleasant to bike on, and a fair number of wandering tourists. Interesting, but not a must-see, and it felt less lively than Copenhagen. ...

While in Copenhagen, I took a few rides farther afield. Riding about 25 miles North was a great way to spend an afternoon (and about the comfort limit on my creaky rented city cruiser, in jeans), and the Louisiana was one of the best modern art museums I’ve been to. Denmark’s bike infrastructure extends far beyond the major cities– even through the countryside I was almost exclusively riding on separated bike paths. ...

A few photos I snapped while out and about of my favorite bike-friendly infrastructure. Wide, paved, separated bike paths around the city: A road that in many cities would be two car lanes plus some street parking. In Denmark, I’d see roads with one-way car traffic, spacious separated two-bike bike traffic, and a pedestrian sidewalk: Out of this busy 4-lane street, two lanes for cars, two lanes dedicated for bikes (the two right lanes shown here are bikes-only– one for cyclists going straight, and one for cyclists turning left), though this was less common than the separated bike lanes between road and sidewalk: ...

I got to visit Copenhagen for the first time last week. Some photos of infrastructure and rides in the surrounding countryside are coming, but to start– a few photos of bikes and the streets: Front-loading cargo bikes were everywhere, whether carrying children, bread, musical instruments, folding tables, mops and buckets, tipsy friends (men or women), or a mix. ...

After taking the London city bikes for a spin, I had to give the famous Paris Velib that kicked off the recent worldwide expansion of city bike programs a try. I’d heard the terminals only take chip-and-pin credit cards, so I pre-purchased a 1-day Velib membership online (for about $2.50) before my trip. I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked– I entered the numbers from that receipt and my PIN into a terminal, and I was able to quickly/easily check out a Velib for 30 minutes from anywhere in the city. ...