The sugar-derived alkenes were prepared using three methods; in the first hex-5-enofuranoses were generated in good yields from the corresponding 5,6-dimesylates using Tipson-Cohen conditions; the second employed an aprotic Bamford-Stevens reaction to give the 1-methylene sugar from the analogous pyranosyl tosylhydrazone. The final approach gave a series of 1-methylene sugars in moderate to good yields (50-82%) by the methylation of sugar lactones with dimethyl titanocene (Petasis Reagent).