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Tour de Stogie?

Belleville News-Democrat photographer Zia Nizami knows about my role in creating the Tour de Donut and my leadership of the Tour de Stooges. He thinks I should come up with another ride:

The Tour de Stogie.

That's right, combining cycling with cigar smoking.

Several folks at the News-Democrat partake in cigar smoking from time to time, and Zia hears me and fellow photographer Derik Holtmann discuss cycling. That prompted Zia to combine the two into the the Tour de Stogie.

Zia sees the ride going something like this: The route would connect tobacco shops and other places that sell cigars in the Belleville area. The timing system would be similar to the Tour de Donut in that cyclists would receive a time bonus for each cigar smoked.

The twisted side of me that comes out of me when planning bicycle routes -- who else would create bicycle rides that combine cycling and doughnut eating, cycling and slapstick comedy or design routes for the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society that routinely include plenty of hills -- would take that a step further.

For example, I would include portions of the hilly BABES Ravissant Winery Ride (PDF file) or the Shiloh Station Road hill in Shiloh, Ill., or the infamous Plum Hill School Road hill between Belleville and Mascoutah on the Tour de Stogie route. A special bonus would be given to anyone who made it up one of those hills alive while smoking a cigar.

Zia thinks the ride would be widely popular. He might be right. I doubt most serious cyclists would participate in the Tour de Stogie, but the Belleville area has plenty of people who would be perfect for the ride: the people who lost their licenses because of a DUI conviction who routinely ride on the wrong side of the road and ignore stop signs and traffic signals. I've seen a few them with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, so this would be a ride geared for them.

And which charities do think should reap the benefits from this ride. Well, of course, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association.

Roger 0 comments 3:24 PM