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

 

Verdict in Michael Katz case

More than a year after cyclist Michael Katz was killed in an accident in Creve Coeur, Mo., the man who drove the vehicle that killed him pleaded guilty to several ordinance violations, including failure to keep a proper lookout and driving on a suspended license.

On July 25, 2005, Michael was riding his bicycle on Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur when a pickup truck driven by Robert Rush struck him. While the ordinance violations were filed in a municipal court, the St. Louis County prosecutor's office declined to file charges.

Relatives, friends and members of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation -- many wearing "I Am Michael Katz" T-shirts -- attended the court session Wednesday. They are disappointed by the sentence: "shock probation." He'll serve five weekends in jail to see what it's like. If he violates the terms of his parole, he'll have to serve a full year.

They would like St. Louis County prosecutors to reopen the case and seek felony charges. I don't know the nuances of Missouri law, so I don't know whether it would be double jeopardy to charge file felony charges in the case once Rush pleaded guilty to the ordinance violations.

"We think this makes a case for negligent homicide and we're disappointed with Bob McCulloch's office that they won't prosecute it," STLBikeFed Chairman Russ Willis told KSDK-TV, Channel 5, in St. Louis.

KSDK-TV aired a report about the plea Wednesday. I encourage you to visit the site to read the story and view the video.

Roger 0 comments 1:36 PM

Saturday, August 26, 2006

'Gluttons for Punishment' world premiere

More details are in about the world premiere of the documentary "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment" As I've reported before, the debut will be Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Moolah Theatre, 3821 Lindell Blvd. in St. Louis. What's different from what was reported earlier is the time of the film: The doors open at 8:30 p.m., and the film will be screened at 9:30 p.m.

Admission for the movie is $5 (free for Gateway Cup participants) and includes pizza from Papa John's. Rumor also has it that doughnuts will be served, which would be appropriate for this particular film.

The film centers around Gateway Cup director Tim Ranek's attempt to win the 2005 Tour de Donut in Staunton, Ill. As a co-founder and past winner of the event (1995), I make three appearances in the film (four if you count a shot of me clipping into my pedals).

If you're in the St. Louis area on Labor Day weekend, I encourage you to stop by and watch the film. I recently showed the film to members of the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society, and they found it entertaining with plenty of laughs.

Roger 0 comments 11:23 AM

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

75 years young

Longtime Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society member Charles Beil will ride his bicycle tonight to celebrate his 75th birthday.

I can't think of a better way for Charles to celebrate the milestone than to join us on our Wednesday Evening Ride in Millstadt, Ill. Over the years, Charles has been one of our most consistent and loyal riders. I can tell you from years of observing Charles, he is a stronger rider than most people half or even a third his age. Assuming I'm still around for my 75th birthday, I would love to be as strong as Charles.

You can see a photo of Charles along with several other members of the BABES on my account of the 2003 SAGBRAW ride in Wisconsin. The photo was taken by Phil Smith, the same Phil Smith who died earlier this summer in Washington state while on a cross-country ride.

Happy Birthday, Charles, and I know you have plenty of cycling miles left in your legs!

Roger 1 comments 2:25 AM

Monday, August 21, 2006

I'm still around....

I haven't had a lot of time for blogging lately. Frankly, I haven't had a lot to write about, so I took a break.

I'm generally recovered from my accident I had after riding with the Ditty Bops. The stitches are long gone, but the wound on my left knee was a deep one and is still mending. That means my rides are short and slow.

I've been busy with helping people plan the Tour de Coal on Sept. 23 and the Tour de Grape, a new ride that will debut Mother's Day weekend in Farmington/Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

Hopefully, the recovery will speed up so I can start spending more quality time on the bike.

Roger 0 comments 7:01 PM

Friday, August 11, 2006

Moonlight Ramble tips

I'm reposting the tips that I published last month about safety on big nighttime rides like the Moonlight Ramble in St. Louis and the Tour de'Belleville to help people deal with the ride, plus a couple of new ones. Here goes:

Tip for everyone:

• If you're going to do the ride, pay for it. The Moonlight Ramble is the major fundraiser for the Gateway Council of Hostelling International. The council soon will be opening a hostel on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus, and money from the ride will be used to operate the hostel and to operate cycling, hiking, canoeing and other events. I know there are a number of riders who mooch the ride, but it's not fair to the people who paid their money for you to take advantage of the secured route and other services, but not pay for the ride. It's also not fair to the council's staff and volunteers who have spent countless hours preparing for the ride.
  

Tips for newbies:

• If you're a slower rider, try to ride as far to the right as safely possible so faster riders can pass you. If you have to walk up a hill, walk your bike as far to the right as safely possible.
• Don't be startled when someone says "on your left." "On your left" is the shorthand experienced cyclists use to tell other people when they plan to pass you on your left.
  
• Groups of cyclists should not take up the entire lane, again so other people can pass.
• If you plan to stop, be sure to give some type of warning. At a minimum, give a verbal warning such as "braking" or "stopping." It's also a good idea to give a hand signal by extending your left hand toward the ground. For a good illustration of that, download the Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road (pdf file).
• If you're stopping for an extended period of time, pull off the road so other cyclists can pass safely.
• Use your gears. Most new cyclists tend to use a gear that's too big for them. Find a gear where you feel comfortable riding 60 to 90 pedal strokes a minute. When you approach a hill, you probably want to shift to a lower gear before you start climbing.
  
• Above all, ride at a pace that's comfortable for you. The Moonlight Ramble is not a race, so don't get tempted to ride at a faster speed than you're used to just because you want to keep up with other people.

Tips for experienced riders:

• Be patient with the less experienced riders. Remember that you once were an inexperienced rider yourself.
• Ride defensively. When approaching a family with young children, give yourself plenty of room to get around them because you never know when someone will suddenly veer to the left or right.
• Use caution on hills. There's a good chance someone will try to climb a hill only to run out of gas and suddenly stop. Give yourself plenty of room to maneuver around them.
• Slow down. This is not the time for a 20-25 mph training ride and long pacelines. Events like the Moonlight Ramble are meant for fun, so slow down and smell the roses.
• Be a good ambassador. The way you behave will influence whether a newcomer will stick with the sport.

Roger 0 comments 11:30 AM

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Get behind the ITS Trail

A group of Macoupin County, Ill., residents are garnering support to build the ITS (Illinois Traction System) Trail from Staunton to Benld.

If the group is successful, the trail will link into an existing trail between Benld and Gillespie and a trail under development between Edwardsville and Staunton. The long-term goal is to construct a bicycle trail linking St. Louis and Springfield, Illinois' state capital.

The group is spearheaded by Russell Massinelli, the former regional superintendent of schools for Macoupin, Calhoun, Jersey and Greene counties and an avid bicyclist. The group is trying to gain support from communities for the project.

Like Madison County, which has developed more than 75 miles of bicycle trails, Macoupin County has abandoned railroad rights-of-way left from the days when there were lots of railroads linking St. Louis and cities like Springfield, Chicago and Decatur. Unlike Madison County, Macoupin County does not have a transit district and will need the support of local governments and the public to raise the matching money to get state or federal grants for the project.

I've known Russ for more than 30 years, and I wish his group success in getting the trail constructed. If you're interest in the project, I encourage you to visit the ITS Trail Committee's site and consider becoming a member.

Roger 0 comments 3:51 PM

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Updates on metro-east trails

Some items in the news about metro-east bicycle trails:

McKinley Bridge update: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a story in its Sunday editions about the bicycle and walking path under construction as part of the renovations to the McKinley Bridge, which links St. Louis and Venice, Ill. The path will serve as another connection between the Riverfront Trail in St. Louis and Madison County Transit's Confluence Trail, which currently extends from Granite City to Alton, Ill.

New trail underpass planned for Edwardsville: The Edwardsville Intelligencer reports Madison County Transit soon will be taking bids for an underpass at Troy Road (formerly Illinois Route 159). The road carries more than 20,000 vehicles a day, and the underpass will make it safer for people wishing to use the Nickel Plate Trail and the Madison County Nature Trail.

Attack on MetroLink Trail: On Friday, the Belleville News-Democrat reported that a 49-year-old female jogger was knocked to the ground by a bicyclist, then fondled, while on the MetroLink Trail about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday. The woman gave a detailed description of the suspect, but the suspect is not in custody.

The attack is the second incident on the trail this year. In June, a registered sex offender was arrested after he allegedly verbally assaulted a woman and three children on a bike trail near Southwestern Illinois College and Green Mount Road.

News of the attack may reducing use of the trail, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says. One cyclist told a reporter he saw fewer people on the trail Saturday than normal, but one woman said she plans to continue walking on the trail despite the recent attack.

Belleville Police Chief David Ruebhausen and a sexual abuse counselor for Call for Help suggest people should consider going out of the trail with at least one other person to reduce the risk of an attack.

Roger 0 comments 10:54 AM

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment

The documentary film on the Tour de Donut "bicycle race" is finished. The premiere of the film -- "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment" -- is slated for Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Moolah Theatre in St. Louis as part of the Gateway Cup bicycle races over Labor Day weekend. The theater will open at 8 p.m., and the film will be shown at 9:15 p.m. Pizza and doughnuts will be served. The event is free for Gateway Cup racers and $5 for everyone else.

Thanks to co-director and producer Jim Klenn, I already have my copy of the film. Jim and Steve Kelly made the film in association with KDHX-TV in St. Louis, but they plan to enter it in film festivals before airing it on the St. Louis cable TV station.

"Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment" is a 35-minute film that centers around the experiences of Gateway Cup director Tim Ranek and his attempt to win the 2005 Tour de Donut. Dave Sweeney, the president of the Boeing Employee's Bicycle Club, the group that runs the event, also appears several times. Other cyclists appear in the film, discussing their strategies on how to win the race. For example, cyclist Kathleen Michael shows off the potato smasher she used to flatten doughnuts so she could eat more.

As a co-founder of the Tour de Donut and the 1995 champion, I appear in three segments of the film (a fourth if you include a close-up of me clipping into my pedals.) I talk about the first winner of the Tour de Donut, Karl Painter, the doughnuts that are made for the event by Jubelt's Bakery in Mount Olive, Ill., and my view that the Tour de Donut is a "bicycle race" for the rest of us.

I know any review I might offer of the film is somewhat colored by the fact that I'm in the film and that I helped create the event for the now-defunct Mid-America Bicycle Club. I would have preferred that the film included a bit more about the history of the event, but I think the majority of cycling and non-cycling viewers will find it enjoyable. The film is well-edited and well-photographed, and the original score by James Ibur enhances the film. Centering the film around Tim Ranek gives the film the focus it needs to tie all the pieces together.

It's good to know that doughnuts will waiting for us at the Moolah Theatre on Sept. 3!

Roger 1 comments 12:20 PM