What did you learn from the news last week? On the cycling front, we learned that for some people – helping to make sure our environment is green is more important to them than making sure their pocketbook is green, we learned that the coldest day in Chicago’s history was a whopping negative 27 degrees, and we learned that we should “eat dessert first”. Want to know how we learned these things? Check out this past week’s batch of bicycling-related news!

• January 19, 2010: One man’s reasons for turning in his stock portfolio and picking up a bicycling plan. Is cycling the answer to our urban woes? (Mahesh Vijapurkar, Rediff News)

• January 20, 2010: BicyclePASS – A new business model created by resident Philip Koopman of Mount Rainer where the services and products offered will not only cater to current bicycle commuters, but also broaden the appeal of using a bike for transportation to those who have been reluctant to do so because of the lack of proper accommodations at their destination. Industry Veterans Form BicyclePASS (Press Release, Bicycle Retailer)

• January 20, 2010: The coldest day in Chicago history was minus 27 on Jan. 20, 1985, and to mark the occasion, the Active Transportation Alliance encouraged commuters to bike to work and handed out coffee and treats to those who did. Bike to Work in Honor of Chicago’s Coldest Day (Hunter Clauss, NBC Chicago)

• January 20, 2010. The number 10 most friendly bicycle city is Basel, Switzerland. The number one….? The World’s 11 Most Bicycle Friendly Cities (Warren McLaren, Tree Hugger)

• January 21, 2010: “Build It” is a program that was created by the Bike Transportation Agency in hopes of BTA hopes that it will put pressure on city leaders to build out the bike plan once it’s adopted on February 4th. BTA launches “Build It” social media campaign (Jonathan Maus, BikePortland.org)

• January 22, 2010: Touching story on why we should always try to enjoy our life. World bicycle adventures: Eat dessert first! (Frosty Wooldridge, OEN)

• January 22, 2010: The SFMTA 2009 Bicycle Count Report (PDF), which shows an 8.5 percent increase in the number of cyclists on the streets last year compared to 2008, and a 53 percent increase since 2006, is now out! Bicycling Up 8.5 Percent in SF Last Year, 53 Percent Increase from 2006 (Michael Rhodes, SF Streets Blog)

The wheels are in motion and helmet heads are a spinning – full of brilliant bicycle ideas! What are your thoughts on bike sharing, pothole tours and cycling delivery folks? Or ice “racing”, spinal cord helping helmets and Rollers? Not quite sure what we’re referring to? Check out this past week’s bicycles stories that were in the news!

• January 11, 2010: One frustrated citizen discusses the dangers of bicycling on ice – what she calls “Hood ornament racing”. A new winter sport, just in time for Olympics. (Jeanne Holden Cornwall, Standard Freeholder)

• January 11, 2010: A government study has recently found that while movies made for kids are getting better at portraying safety behaviors like wearing seatbelts and bike helmets, they’re still missing the mark about half the time. Seat Belts, Bike Helmets Go Unused in Movies Aimed at Kids. (Serena Gordon, BusinessWeek)

• January 11, 2010: A team of scientists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver have developed what they call a two-shell helmet design that adds extra protection to deflect the shock of an impact away from the spinal cord as well as the head. Canadian scientists designing helmet to prevent spinal cord injuries (Staff Writer, BrainandSpinalCord.org)

• January 12, 2010: Bicycling Diaries – Thoughts and opinions from one semi-competitive cyclist. Elbow Room: Pedal To The Mettle (Ben Spies, SuperBikePlanet.com)

• January 13, 2010: Virginia staple, The Bike Lane, donated 42 new bikes to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation last holiday season and collected over $8,500. Donating Joy of Biking (Allison Austin, The Connection)

• January 14, 2010: Don’t want to brave the cold weather, but miss your bike during the winter months? Get Rollers! They are a special indoor training device that allows you to ride your regular outdoor bicycle like a real bike inside. Rollers look like a set of three big metal rolling pins with a rubber band and an aluminum frame. Rollers: like learning to ride a bike (Tim Burke, The Palm Beach Post)

• January 14, 2010: Bike Delivery in Portland: They not only bring the market to you—they help alleviate the congestion and the smog that comes with it. Pedal Power: Portland’s Bike Delivery Services (Chad Walsh, Neighborhood Notes)

• January 14, 2010: On Saturday and Sunday, the City of Cape Coral’s 19th annual Tour de Cape (featuring running, walking and bicycling events) took place. Everyone’s a winner in Tour de Cape events (Staff Writer, News-Press)

• January 14, 2010: Following in the footsteps of places such as Paris and Amsterdam, LA looks into bicycle sharing. As Bicycle Sharing Plans Develop, LaBonge Would Rather See Bike Stations (Zach Behrens, LAist)

• January 15, 2010: A bicycle ride featuring a tour of the largest sinkholes in the High Springs area was held by the Yellow Bellied Sliders Bicycling Society at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17. Bike ride to tour High Springs’ largest sinkholes (Staff Writer, The North Florida Herald)

Have you ever noticed how often bicycling is featured in the news?! From stolen bikes being recovered to lives being saved – bicyclists are making history each and every day. Here are some of our favorite stories from the past week:

• November 1, 2009: Aman Sonkar of Khurshed Bagh, India, showed off smarts, courage and skill when he noticed a very familiar bicycle riding nearby. Nine-yr-old catches bicycle thief (Staff Writer, The Times of India)

• November 1, 2009: Think twice before you hop on that bike intoxicated! Calif. cops crack down on drunken biking (William M. Welch, USA TODAY)

• November 2, 2009: The never-ending controversy over who “owns” the road. Bike and cars: Can we share the road? (Christie Aschwanden, LA Times)

• November 3, 2009: Ever thought of making a shrine for your bicycle? These people did! Vestments and bike bells: Bicycle Shrine dedicated in Portland last night (Elly Blue, BikePortland.org)

• November 3, 2009: This girl’s life was saved, because she was wearing a helmet while she was walking! Bicycle helmet saves the day – on foot! (Adam Voiland, SF Examiner)

• November 4, 2009: The mayor vs. the mugger – and he is even wearing a Bell Sports helmet!! Mayor Boris fends off hoodie muggers on his bicycle (“The Hub”, The Blike) & Boris Johnson: “Knight on a shining bicycle” (Jordana Timerman, Foreign Policy)

• November 4, 2009: Imagine: L.A. bicyclists in the driver’s seat, one day a week (Matthew Fleischer, LA Times)

• November 4, 2009: Had your bike stolen? Well now there’s a web site that can help you get it back! Kharma Army – Web site uses social networking to return stolen bikes (Dan Welin, Daily Illini.com)

• November 5, 2009: Follow this rider’s journey as he bikes more than 6,000 miles. The Bicycle Diaries: into Kyrgyzstan’s thin air (Douglas Whitehead, Telegraph)

• November 5, 2009: Follow your dreams – on a bicycle! Cyclist follows her African dream (Khanyi Ndabeni, Weekend Post)