Bat-inspired technology lets blind man mountain bike; Third Annual Cranksgiving; Washington's first bicycle arrived in Seattle 133 years ago today; and more

* Fun fact from HistoryLink.org: 133 years ago today, the first bicycle in Washington Territory arrived in Seattle. On November 14, 1879, the first bicycle ever seen in Washington Territory arrives in Seattle aboard a steamer from San Francisco via Portland. Seattle Merchant William H. Pumphrey displayed the boy's size two-wheeler in front of his store at 617 Front Street (later 1st Avenue)

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In an effort to shed bicycling of its association with racing, advocacy groups host style-centric rides.

* Bat-inspired technology lets blind man ride mountain bike. A blind Bristol University student has successfully ridden a mountain bike down a trail with the help of bat-inspired technology that provides advanced warning of obstacles in the path so the rider can steer around them.

* Pedal perfect: Bikers shed spandex to inspire new riders. About 70 people gathered in Decatur, Georgia, on Sunday, Nov. 11, for a celebration of period fashion and cycling. Style-centric rides such as this one have been organized around the world as an effort to shed bicycling of its strict association with competitive racing and make it more appealing to casual riders and potential commuters.

* Mark your calendars for Seattle’s Third Annual Cranksgiving! Coming up on Saturday, Nov. 17, Tom Fucoloro from Seattle Bike Blog is once again organizing this pedal-powered food drive and scavenger hunt to benefit the Rainier Valley Food Bank.

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* In an effort to save the controversial bike lanes on Toronto’s Jarvis Street, which the city decided to remove upon the completion of a separated cycle track on a parallel street, a citizen protested by planting himself in the bike lane, obstructing the removal process.

* Bicyclist run over by dump truck,  driver flees the scene.  A 49-year-old man was run over by a truck just after 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition.

* Seattle designer launches Kickstarter for bike-tailored women’s clothing. Ann DeOtte, founder of Iva Jean founder, has launched a Kickstarter to help fund her new line of women’s clothing geared toward women who bike. DeOtte started Iva Jean in early 2010 to encourage women to get on a bike and ride with the style, personality and confidence they bring to every other aspect of their lives.

* If She Can Do It, a documentary by filmmaker Mark Brent and our very own mountain bike celebrity, Kat Sweet premieres Thursday, Nov. 15 at PinkBike.com. Filmed this past July at the Sugar Showdown, Sweet says the significance of this film is enormous for the women of freeride. “This demographic has been largely overlooked by the bike industry for a long time, and people want to see women riding bikes, supporting and pushing each other but keeping it fun.”

* In a Momentum magazine article titled, What Women Want,  Anna Bowen gives a women’s perspective on the gender gap in bicycling, touching on topics such a safety, time constraints,  fashion, and a male-dominated culture.

*  I Put My Bike On The Bus: a music video about the sometimes awkwardness of multi-modal traveling.