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Sam's Doing an IRONMAN
Plus, a 5000 km European tour, and millions in new funding
Sam Westby
March 13, 2026
Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. We put the spoke in bespoke news.
This newsletter is about a love for two-wheeled transit. From riding around town to riding across the country, the more time you spend on a bike, the better. You can look forward to a new edition every week.
Here’s what we have today.
🌍 ROUTE: IRONMAN Wisconsin 2026
🎥 WATCH: A 5000 km Journey Across Europe
📰 NEWS: Funding, ridership records, and new bike lanes
Written by Sam Westby, @samcwestby
ROUTE ON MY RADAR
IRONMAN Wisconsin 2026
I’m gonna do an Ironman
This has been on my mind for a while, and by “a while” I mean ever since I was a kid. When I was 4, my family traveled to Lake Placid, New York, to watch my dad complete his first-ever IRONMAN in 10 hours and 11 minutes.
Over the next 6 years, he went on to finish 4 more, competing at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, twice.
By the time I was in middle school, my childhood bedroom was covered in IRONMAN posters.
Like any passion, my desire to compete ebbed and flowed, but after my off-the-couch IRONMAN last month, I think it’s time.
I’ll have 6 months to remember how to run and swim, and to get my back prepared for hours of aero position. It will be a good amount of work, so I’ll take you along for the journey.
Here’s the plan: beat my dad’s PR
WHAT I’M WATCHING
A 5000 km European Bike Tour
Three friends with little to no bike/bike touring experience decided to embark on a 9-week tour across Europe while spending little to no money. This vlog covers their 1st week. It really captures the spirit of touring: scrappy, low-cost, high-spirited.
Watch all 44 minutes on YouTube.
$14 million. The amount of surplus tax funding that the city of Milwaukee is planning to redirect toward street upgrades like bike lanes and street lights. (biztimes.com)
£94.8 million. The amount confirmed by Transport for London for 2026/2027 active travel improvements. (Zag Daily)
250%. The increase in Cambridge, MA bike traffic since 2004 - thanks to massive improvements in bike infrastructure. (cambridgema.gov)
130,000. The number of bike rides on the 30th Street bike lane in San Diego in 2025. This is up from 50,000 in 2021. (Times of San Diego)
20. The number of Car-Free Days scheduled in Philadelphia this summer. (NBC 10)
Approved. The Heights neighborhood in Jersey City just approved construction of its first bike lane. (Jersey City Times)
Approved. The final designs for a pedestrian/bike bridge in Miami that would cross under I-395 and close the last gap in Miami’s Baywalk. (Miami Today News)
3 miles. The length of a new protected bike lane in North Hollywood has just broken ground.
A Note From Sam
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