The Blog Page

News, commentary and humor about bicycling and other topics of the day

 

Go with the Donut!

On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of being interviewed for a documentary about the Tour de Donut. Steve Kelly and Jim Klenn are putting together a little film for KDHX-TV, the community and public access arm of the St. Louis-based Double Helix Corp. and sister media outlet of KDHX-FM.

I am much more comfortable being the interviewer than the interviewee. I was worried about this because my previous two experiences with television weren't very good. The first was an effort to do a show about restaurants for ECTV, the educational and government access channel for the city of Edwardsville, Ill. That died after one taping because I just didn't have the skills to do a show. The second was an appearance on KSDK-TV's "Today in St. Louis" to promote the Gateway Council of Hostelling International and the Tour de Stooges. I did fine when I was talking about the Stooges, but I choked while trying to promote the other events. Doing the taping live before 7 a.m. didn't help.

But this experience was much better. Steve and Jim set up the lighting and camera in the living room and took steps to make me feel at ease, for example, looking at Jim, who was asking the questions, instead of looking at the camera. And assurances that the ums and uhs would be edited from the final tape helped.

We discussed the history of the Tour de Donut, strategies for winning the "race" and even a little bit about this Web site. I guess the most interesting question Jim had for me was what was the most disgusting thing I've seen on the Tour de Donut.

While I've never seen anyone throw up their doughnuts, I've heard it's happened. But I can't think of a much more disgusting sight than taking off your sweaty cycling gloves, grabbing two or three sticky glazed doughnuts, smashing them together and putting them in your mouth.

I am looking forward to seeing how the film turns out. I hope Steve and Jim are successful in tracking down the other co-founders of the ride because it will make for fascinating television.

Roger 1 comments 10:48 AM

Friday, May 27, 2005

Cubs point finger -- at Wrigley

First it was the Curse of the Billy Goat.

Then it was the Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio trade.

Then it was the Steve Bartman incident.

Then it was Sammy Sosa.

Now, according to this Chicago Tribune story, it's Wrigley Field.

That's really precious.

Maybe it's time for the Cubs players and management to take a look in the mirror. The Cubs have been playing at Wrigley Field since only 1916. You'd think the Cubs would have figured out how to play in their home ballpark by now.

The San Diego Padres struggled last year in their new home, Petco Park, but they seemed to make the adjustments and are leading the National League West.

Then there are teams that can play well just about anywhere: the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, just to name four of them.

Then there's the Cubs.

Yes, I'm still making plans for my 100 Years of Cubs Futility Party in 2008!

Roger 0 comments 12:43 PM

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

The Bike Doctor

Jaime Ingle of the Belleville News-Democrat's Sunday Magazine wrote an interesting story about Stewart Drolet, AKA The Bike Doctor, that appeared in the May 15 version of the magazine. Jamie did a nice job with the article.

Over the years, I've found Stewart's the best bicycle wrench man in the Illinois counties of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Last year, for example, I was having a big problem breaking spokes on my rear wheel. Stewart came over to my house and rebuilt the wheel. He added a little extra re-enforcement to the spokes, and I haven't had a problem since.

Stewart used to run a bicycle shop in O'Fallon, Ill., but now he runs his repair service out of his truck and will go to your home or office to fix your bike. To find out more, give him a call at (618) 632-1164 or visit his Web site, http://bicyclezone.com/bz/index.htm.

Roger 0 comments 12:50 PM

Monday, May 16, 2005

Congratulations to Laura Whittle

Laura Whittle of Belleville, Ill., who rides for the Midwestern State University cycling team, had a nice run at the National Collegiate Cycling Association Championships last weekend. She finished 32nd in the omninum standings for Division I women on the strength of an 11th place finish in the 60-minute criterium on Friday night. Laura finished one second behind criterium champ Amber Rais of Stanford.

According to her father, Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society ride leader Jerry Whittle, Laura has been playing a supporting role the past two years to MSU's best female racer, Jennifer Purcell. Next year, Laura likely will be the top female cyclist on the team, so we can expect more good things from her.

If you want to read more about the NCCA event, check out Collegiate Cycling News links in the right column of this page.

Roger 1 comments 6:45 PM

Tour de Stooges: A Look Back

As I was driving home Saturday, May 7, from the Tour de Stooges, I thought about what we accomplished on the ride. We drew about 500 riders, doubling the attendance record for the ride. The folks at McKendree worked hard, but they fed all the riders. Most people were pleased with the scenic routes, the way we marked the route and the food and drink we provided at the rest stops.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

We finally did it. The Tour de Stooges met the goals I set for the ride when Ken Kibort and I created the ride in 1997.

I had a feeling we were in for a special day when we had more than 200 people pre-register for the ride. And when the forecast called for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 80s, I knew it was going to be a special day.

But I was stunned when I returned to McKendree College from delivering food and water jugs to the first rest stop, the Troy Knights of Columbus. It was barely 8 a.m. and the main parking lot at the Melvin Price Convocation Center was already three-quarters full. Registration didn't officially open until 8:30.

The volunteers at registration adjusted well to the flood of people and moved people through quickly. Before 9 a.m., the main lot and the smaller lot next to the Price Center were full, and our parking volunteers made the right adjustments so everyone could find a spot.

The vast majority of the people really enjoyed the flat-to-rolling routes we used and commented about the lack of vehicular traffic on them. They also found the routes were very well marked, and I'm grateful for that. No matter how many arrows you paint or how large you make them, someone is going to complain. But I figure if only one or two people complain, we've done our job.

That's not to say everything was perfect. There was an unforeseen problem at the Highland rest stop. We were not aware of the plumbing problems at Spindler Park, the site of the second rest stop, until it was too late to make alternative arrangements with the City of Highland.

The woman who manned the second rest stop, Dawn Weber, has coordinated many bike rides and biathlons for Touring Cyclist. When Dawn realized the situation, she took it upon herself to ask a convenience store a block away from the park whether she could refill the water jugs there and whether riders could use the restrooms. The only times when that stop was unmanned and out of water was when she was traveling to the store to refill the jugs. Under the circumstances, I thought Dawn did an exemplary job!

The other rest stop where there were water jug problems was the New Baden stop (the third stop). Had we known we were going to have about 500 people on this ride, I would have had someone man that stop. Normally, I would have refilled the jugs, but our SAG drivers were buying additional cookies for the other rest stops and taking care of other problems on the road. The New Baden rest stop was in a park with more than ample water. There was a water faucet less than 10 feet from where I had set up the jugs and the food. Yes, it would have been better if the jugs had been filled, but there was water to be had.

Also, there were problems with some people riding more than two abreast on the roads, a violation of Illinois law. We need to continue our efforts to teach people about the rules of the road for their safety and so we remain welcome in the communities, townships and counties where the routes go.

So, what are we going to do different for 2006? We're going to correct the problems we had, first of all. We're also considering having more activities at some of the rest stops, such as pie-throwing contests or live music.

Again, thanks to all you who attended the Tour de Stooges! We hope you enjoyed the ride, and we hope to see you again in 2006.

Roger 0 comments 3:00 PM

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Tour de Donut registration now open

The Boeing Employees Bicycle Club has opened registration for the 2005 Tour de Donut. Here's the link to the event page: http://www.bebikeclub.com/tddentry.html.

Get your legs ready for the cycling and get your appetite ready for all those yummy glazed doughnuts!

Roger 0 comments 2:25 PM

Sunday, May 08, 2005

My mom in the news!

Today is Mother's Day. That means, of course, I visited my mom and bought her a gift. But I got a much better gift from her today.

I was surprised to see that a four-column photograph of my mom, Jean Kramer, appeared on Page A1 of The (Alton) Telegraph on Wednesday, May 4. In my mom's humble style, she didn't even tell me about it. When I asked why she hadn't told me, she said she figured that I would see it today.
My mom was pictured wishing a happy birthday to Charley Kevilus, known to most Alton-area residents as Joey Moyer. Despite suffering from cerebral palsy, Charley earns enough money from his business, Joey's Can Co., to pay most of his bills. Charley has roamed Alton for more than 25 years collecting aluminum cans. To read more about Charley's inspirational story -- and to see the photograph of my mom -- read The Telegraph's account.

Unfortunately, the Web site cuts off the full caption for the photo. Here's the full caption as it appeared in the paper:

Jean Kramer wishes Charley Kevilus a happy 60th birthday Tuesday afternoon at the office of State Farm Insurance agent Scott Neudecker in Upper Alton. Kramer, of Brighton, said she found the stories she read about Kevilus to be inspiring and has sent him Christmas cards and birthday cards for many years. This year, she wanted to meet him in person. Despite suffering from cerebral palsy, Kevilus has lived a largely independent life, collecting cans to help pay his bills.

In addition, my mom and my younger, non-cycling sister, Karen Brooks, collect cans and regularly deliver them to Joey's Can Co. Even though Charley is unable to speak, he did acknowledge that he has read the numerous cards my mom has sent over the years.

Thanks of a friend of my mom's who gave her a copy of The Telegraph at church this morning, I have a copy of the paper as well. It was a great Mother's Day gift in reverse and a reminder of what a remarkable woman I have for a mom!

Roger 0 comments 10:02 PM

Thursday, May 05, 2005

MCT Trails Photo Contest

Attention all you shutterbugs out there! Madison County Transit is sponsoring a photo contest! MCT is seeking photos of happy trailgoers walking, rollerblading, jogging or cycling on one of the MCT Trails. If selected, the winning submission will be placed in MCT materials and will be viewed region-wide. Of course, the photos have to be taken on one of the MCT Trails, but a good photographer should have no problem finding somewhere on one of those trails to get a great photo.

The entry deadline is July 31, so get those camera out and start clicking!

Roger 0 comments 2:20 AM

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Countdown to Tour de Stooges

Three more days until the Tour de Stooges ride at McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., and I'm excited! The forecast for Saturday is calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 84 degrees! We're expecting our biggest crowd ever!

This is the ride's third year of using Active.com for online registration, and I am amazing about the growth. In 2003, we had 25 people sign up online. In 2004, we had 60 people sign up online. As of noon Wednesday, we had 113 people with a day and a half of online registration left to go. Wow!

I got to go! I have to clean my car to get ready to haul food, water, etc., for the event. Wish me luck!

Roger 0 comments 1:01 PM