With the weather cooling down, gas prices remaining high and the District still reveling in having been named the most improved bicycling city in the country, there’s plenty of two-wheel action going on through the month of September.

On September 21, downtown D.C. will see some of the country’s best professional cyclists battle it out in the ING Direct Capital Criterium. Sure, most of us won’t get to ride the 1 km course, but watching will more than make up for it. And if you don’t think any of the big guns will show, think again — yesterday news hit that Christian Vande Velde, an American who placed fifth in the Tour de France, will be racing alongside his Garmin-Chipotle teammates. The course layout is perfect for public viewing, and considering that DDOT is repaving Pennsylvania Avenue ahead of the 2009 presidential inauguration, it’ll be a fast race.

If the Capital Criterium inspires you to take up cycling, September 22 is a great day to do so — it’s Car-Free Day. It’s not an organized ride and isn’t limited to cycling, but when better to ween yourself from the teet of foreign oil and get in shape than a day endorsed by the D.C. Council?

After a few years on hiatus, Bike DC returns on September 27. You may remember that the annual event — which includes miles and miles of glorious car-free riding — folded after two rough years in 2003 and 2004. (Hurricane Isabel got in the way of the 2003 ride; the following year saw similarly terrible weather severely limit participation.) Well now it’s back, albeit in a shortened version. Kicking off on Pennsylvania Avenue, the ride will meander through 17 miles of traffic-free District roadways before ending at RFK Stadium.

And though it’s in October, don’t forgot the annual 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride.

Sure, we could have picked a picture of local cyclists. But Lance is pulling a Michael Jordan and coming back, so here’s to him having a better post-retirement return than Jordan did.