In an odd incident that could be taken from the “News of the Weird” vault, a Boulder woman chased down a man who assaulted her while she was riding her bicycle. What’s even creepier is that she had her baby in a carrier on her back when she was attacked. Still, she managed to call for help while chasing down her attacker! Bra-vo.

AutoZone seems to hold that driving an obsolete gross polluter is advantageous to riding a bicycle…

The commercial cuts off before we see the kid try to get that thing through his state’s emissions controls, try to register a vehicle he found at his local DMV, or pour $80 into the gas tank. Well, the commercial is all about fahrvegnugen (pleasure in the operation of a motor vehicle), so dealing with the unpleasantness is left out.

As people nationwide are exposed to the pleasures of riding for transportation, expect increasing hostility from the obvious losers, the auto industry.

Okay, so I know you guys don’t necessarily care about biking in New York City. But here’s some big news!

We’re getting those awesome chartreuse (as they call it, I think they’re mint green) bike lanes through Times Square.

Here are a few pics:

I don’t actually use the bike lane on my commute, but I actually work right next to it. It is useful on some of the recreational rides I do, and I’m excited that they’re repaving and painting. The color makes the lane very visible to drivers and pedestrians, which I’ve noticed results in respect for cyclists.

Our friends at Downtown Denver Partnership and Denver Regional Council of Governments have just launched a program that rewards Downtown Commuters for riding their bikes to work. Called Get Downtown Unconventionally, the program rewards commuters who abandon their cars in favor of an alternate transit mode. They mention a $100 gift card for commuter-converts.

For those of us already practicing good commute behavior, and familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son, we get to be entered into a raffle for a new bike, iPod, or $100 VISA Gift Cards. I’m pretty enthusiastic, but that’s because I am a lucky son-of-a-gun and win raffles way more frequently than is probable, but good luck to the rest of you. =)

Momentum Magazine out of Vancouver, B.C. (and one of the better bicycling magazines I’ve seen) covers the Salvagetti Breakfast Ride in this month’s issue. The cat’s out of the bag now, maybe you should join this week’s ride.

The NBC Nightly News featured this video coverage last night, highlighting the strides being taken by U.S. cities to promote bicycling. Washington DC’s bike sharing program also gets a mention. Nothing about our fair city, however. Maybe Denver is cycling’s best-kept secret?