This article is making it’s rounds on the net, but I thought I’d mention it here. I saw the reference first on Jonthan Maus’ excellent bike news website in Portland, BikePortland.org, he reports:

The national bike movement might have just found its most important (and famous) ally: Lance Armstrong.

After just bumping into Lance at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show held in Portland last weekend, I noticed a story published in his hometown newspaper today about the new “commuting bike shop� he plans to open.

And get this; the shop will focus on commuter bikes, not on high-end, carbon-fiber race machines he so heroically pedaled to seven Tour de France victories.

Read Bikeportland’s account here.

Read the Austin360 article here.

The shop is suppose to be part bike shop, training center, and cafe. It will also offer shower facilities to people commuting into the Austin downtown area. How cool is that?! The store will be called Mellow Johnny and will have a host of products from road bikes, fixies, commuters and sexy indie fabricated bikes. It is meant to be a celebration of cycling culture.

This is awesome on so many levels. For one, I wish there was a shop like that in my city. Secondly, bike commuting needs a high-profile spokesperson. There is no TDF for bike commuting. It’s an anonymous and not well-respected activity in these United States. However, with Lance as a potential advocate, it could gain much needed momentum. Time will tell how involved he becomes, but this is definitely a great beginning.

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Bike Commuter Essentials at PricePoint.com