Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Bicycle issues in Illinois

Last week, a bill that would create the misdemeanor offense of negligent vehicular homicide was introduced in the Illinois House. According to the General Assembly's synopsis of the bill (House Bill 1382) it would:

• Provide that a person commits the offense if the person's negligent operation of a motor vehicle is a proximate cause of the death of another person.
• Provide that a person acts negligently within the meaning of the provision if he or she fails to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death or injury to others, and that failure constitutes a substantial deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise under the circumstances then prevailing.
• Provide that the finder of fact may consider statutes and ordinances regulating the defendant's conduct in determining whether he or she was culpably negligent.

Rep. William Black, R-Danville, introduced the bill and several other lawmakers from east-central Illinois have joined him as co-sponsors. The bill has been assigned to the House Judiciary II-Criminal Law Committee.

This is the bill being pushed by the family of Matt Wilhelm and Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz as the result of Matt's death. Matt was killed in September after he was struck by a driver downloading a cellphone ring tone.

UPDATE: Senate Bill 80, the bill that would require vehicles to give 3 feet of clearance while passing a cyclist, was passed Thursday, March 1, by the Senate Transportation Committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill in early March.

Meanwhile, Trailnet is reporting that the Illinois Department of Transportation may cut $116 million of federal transportation dollars in March, again jeopardizing funding for bicycle trails.

“For the third straight year, IDOT has taken aim at a program that supports bicycling in the state,” Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists, told Trailnet. “It’s simply not fair, and it’s not what the U.S. Congress intended when it approved funding for the nation’s transportation systems.”

LIB and Trailnet are urging Illinois cyclists to contact Gov. Rod Blagojevich or IDOT and ask that they move forward with enhancements grants in 2007 with half the money going to bike trails:

Gov. Blagojevich: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121 or www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
Secretary Milt Sees, Illinois Department of Transportation: 217-782-7820 or www.dot.state.il.us/contact.html

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Illinois

Roger 0 comments 1:30 PM

Saturday, February 24, 2007

"Common courtesy" needed on I-64 project

Motorists and cyclists alike will have to show "common courtesy" to make it through the problems that Interstate 64/U.S. Highway 40 construction will create in St. Louis County.

That's the gist of the message that Garry Earls, the director of the St. Louis County highway department, gave members of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments on Wednesday.

It was a message that probably wasn't well-received by members of the cycling advocacy community, mainly because they see the comments as that as empty platitudes. But at this stage of the game, it may be the most realistic answer.

The major highway project will force motorists to use alternative routes, including Clayton Road and Ladue Road, two roads that are popular with St. Louis County cyclists. Earls says 120,000 to 140,000 vehicles use I-64/Highway 40 each day. Earls expects 6,000 cars per hour will be shifted off the highway to other roads, and he said 1,000 of them likely will use Clayton Road.

To accommodate that load, the county plans to add a left-turn lane on Clayton Road on two-lane sections of the road. There would be three 10-foot lanes. Earls said much of the two-lane sections are now 34-feet wide.

Many of the intersections of the four-lane section of the road, east of Lindbergh Boulevard, would be changed from stop signs to traffic signals to improve traffic flow on Clayton Road, he said.

Earls said the county plans to post "Share the Road" sign along the road to encourage cyclists and motorists to get along, but some cycling advocates want more. They want signs that say "Cyclists allowed full use of lane."

In my view, the "Cyclists allowed full use of lane" isn't a great idea. While advocates of John Forrester's "Effective Cycling" would argue that's the case, Missouri bicycle law would suggest that isn't exactly true. Here's what the law says:

Every person operating a bicycle or motorized bicycle at less than the posted speed or slower than the flow of traffic upon a street or highway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as safe, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction, except when making a left turn, when avoiding hazardous conditions, when the lane is too narrow to share with another vehicle, or when on a one-way street. Bicyclists may ride abreast when not impeding other vehicles.

Without a strong education program or laws that fully support that point of view, I fear "cyclists allowed full use of lane" would send the wrong message to cyclists and motorists.

By the way, Missouri bicycle law also requires "the operator of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on the roadway, as defined in section 300.010, shall leave a safe distance when passing the bicycle, and shall maintain clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle." Missouri law does not set a precise distance, such as 3 feet, as other states done and that Illinois lawmakers are considering.

Earls said the Clayton Road pavement will not be widened. Communities that now maintain the road and residents who live on them oppose increasing the right-of-way. The communities, which include Ladue and Frontenac, are home to some of the St. Louis region's richest people.

"I've gotten as many e-mails from lawyers who live along the road as I have from cyclists, and they tell me there's no way you're going to take my property," Earls said.

Earls noted there are 92 governments that have jurisdiction in St. Louis County -- 91 municipalities and county government. (Note: That does not include the city of St. Louis, which is not part of St. Louis County.)

I believe that's a big part of the problem. Parochialism is a big obstacle in getting things done in the St. Louis region, both in Missouri and Illinois. Many time, these governments look after their interests instead of looking at the greater good, which leads to impasses on other big issues, such as the construction of a new Mississippi River bridge or providing sufficient money to improve the region's mass transit system, Metro.

Until this region can actually unite to solve problems, I guess we have to settle with "common courtesy" as a way to deal with hardships.

Update: St. Louis Post-Dispatch traffic columnist Elisa Crouch wrote about the Clayton Road issue Monday, Feb. 26, in her "Along for the Ride" column. She includes some comments from Karen Karabell, a member of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, about sharing the road.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, safety, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 12:06 PM

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Meetings, meetings, meetings

The high temperature in the St. Louis area approached 60 degrees Wednesday, so what did I do?

Yes, I attended three meetings and nursed a car with a leaking radiator hose back home.

No, I did not ride my bike.

The first of the meetings was the East-West Gateway Council of Government's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, in which the head of St. Louis County's highway department, Garry Earls, talked about the impact of Interstate 64/U.S. Highway40 construction on nearby roads popular with cyclists.

Check back here later today to find out what I have to say about that meeting. Right now, my mind is mush, and I don't think I can write anything insightful.

The other two meetings involved putting mailing labels on brochures for the Tour de Stooges -- given I'm the ride coordinator for Tour de Stooges, it probably was a good idea to be there and not dump all the work on other volunteers -- and determining what logistical issues need to be addressed for the Tour de Grape.

Thanks to the radiator hose problem, it took me longer than it should have to return to Belleville from St. Louis County, so it's time to call it a night.

Labels: advocacy, cycling

Roger 0 comments 12:12 AM

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Specialized Angel sightings

Hopefully, you're reading the stories about the Amgen Tour of California from sources such as VeloNews, Bicycling magazine and other sources included in the feeds in the right column of this blog. I'm not going to comment much on the race itself here because these sources do a much better job than I could hope to do.

The Specialized Angel, Jana Ireton, continues to draw lots of attention on the Internet. At left is a nice photo by California photographer Ken Conley, who posted this image on Flicker.

Specialized's own coverage of the race includes an elevation chart of the day's route, complete with where the Angel will be that day.

Tuesday's race coverage by VeloNews includes a picture of the Angel in all her glory.

The VelociPete blog has plenty of nice photos of the Angel, both from 2006 and 2007. The Angel changed her outfit this year. Gone is the long, flowing skirt, but she's sporting some truly funky boots this year.

PezCycling News did an interview with Jana before the race, and she comes off very well. I'm not surprised, given her prompt and friendly e-mails she's sent me in the past year.

It's good to see Levi Leipheimer is leading the race after the second stage, and I'm pulling for him to continue his success the rest of the week.

Labels: cycling, racing, Specialized Angel

Roger 0 comments 10:07 AM

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Tour de Donut hits the film festival circuit

"Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment," the documentary about the Tour de Donut bicycle "race" in Staunton, Ill., will be shown at two film festivals in the coming weeks.

The film will be shown Monday, Feb. 26, at the Big Muddy Film Festival in Carbondale, Ill. The movie is part of the festival's "A Little Humor" program. The program begins at 9 p.m. at Southern Illinois University's Student Center Auditorium. Admission is $3.

It also will be shown March 9-11 at the Lake County Film Festival in suburban Chicago. The March 9 (5:25 p.m. and 7:35 p.m.) and March 10 (2:30 p.m.) screenings will take place at the Civic Center in Libertyville, Ill., 135 W. Church St., while the March 11 (2:15 p.m.) screening will be at Libertyville High School, 708 W. Park Ave.

Also, I've just posted the trailer for the movie at the film's Web site. Hopefully, it will whet your appetite to see the entire film, buy it, ride your bicycle and eat a few doughnuts!

Labels: film festivals, Tour de Donut

Roger 1 comments 2:08 PM

Friday, February 16, 2007

Top bicycling shops

Bicycle Retailer and Boulder Sports Research have announced the top bicycle retailers in America. You can click on the link above to see the full list, but here are some of the top Midwestern shops, according to the survey of bicycle and accessory sales representatives:

Illinois:
Durst Cycle & Fitness, Urbana
Kozy's Cyclery & Fitness, Chicago
Russell's Cycle & Fitness, Washington
Turin Bicycle, Evanston

Missouri:
Big Shark Bicycle Co., St. Louis

Indiana
Bicycle Garage Indy, Greenwood
Matthew's Bicycle Mart, Indianapolis

Iowa
Bike World West, West Des Moines
Northtowne Cycling & Fitness, Cedar Rapids

Kansas
Bikesource, Overland Park

Michigan
Breakaway Bicycles & Fitness, Kalamazoo
Brick Wheels, Traverse City
Two Wheel Tango, Ann Arbor
Village Bike & Fitness, Grand Rapids

Wisconsin
Budget Bicycle Center, Madison
Wheel & Sprocket, Hales Corner

Boulder Research says the sales representatives vote for the top three retailers in their territories in market share, store appearance and community outreach.

In the St. Louis area, it's hard to argue against the inclusion of Big Shark in the top retailer list because the shop is first-rate in all three areas.

But you, the bicycle consumer, may be looking for something else in rating your favorite bicycle shops. I invite you -- no matter where you live -- to tell readers about your favorite shops and what makes them so great.

Labels: bicycle shops

Roger 1 comments 12:52 AM

MetroLink bicycle trail to be expanded

The Belleville News-Democrat reported Thursday that St. Clair County, Ill., will see major bike trail construction in the next year. Linking trails will eventually cover 10 miles of ground, said Mike Buehlhorn, executive director of the Metro-East Parks and Recreation District.

The proposed extension to MetroLink's bicycle trail would travel to the Swansea and Memorial Hospital MetroLink stations. It would mostly run parallel to the MetroLink tracks, and construction could start next summer and take about eight months.

Taulby Roach, project manager for MetroLink's bike path, doesn't yet know what the extension to Memorial Hospital will cost, and bids have not yet been sought for the project, the News-Democrat reported.

Meanwhile, the village of Swansea is planning a trail that will connect the MetroTrail with and existing trail between Centennial Park and Old Collinsville Road.

To see a map of existing and proposed St. Clair County trails, download this map (PDF file). The map does not include the Scott-Troy Trail, a trail under development that will link Scott Air Force Base with the Madison County Trails system and Troy, Ill.

Labels: Belleville, cycling, Illinois, St. Clair County, Swansea, trails

Roger 0 comments 12:31 AM

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Meeting on I-64 work and its effects on cyclists

Garry Earls, the director of the St. Louis County Highways & Traffic Department, will attend the next meeting of the East-West Gateway Council of Government's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee on Wednesday, Feb 21, to discuss how Interstate 64/Highway 40 work will affect bicyclists on neighboring roads -- especially Clayton and Ladue roads, two roads that are popular with St. Louis County cyclists.

The meeting, which is open to the public, begins at noon at East-West Gateway's 16th-floor office at 1 Memorial Drive, Suite 1600, in downtown St. Louis. Earls is expected to speak between 12:20 and 1 p.m.

Hopefully, the meeting will succeed in separating the facts from fiction about how the project will affect cyclists. As I mentioned last week, there are concerns efforts to get traffic off Interstate 64/Highway 40, a major traffic artery for the St. Louis region, will lead to less safe cycling conditions neighboring roads, especially Clayton Road.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, safety, St. Louis

Roger 3 comments 10:48 AM

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Roger Kramer: Public speaker

If you've visited the Evanston (Ill.) Bicycle Club's Web site lately, you may have noticed that I am the speaker at the club's March 20 meeting. I'm supposed to speak about my role in creating the Tour de Donut, the spoof of the Tour de France held each July in Staunton, Ill.

"For true EBCers this is a 'don't miss' meeting about the glory of donuts and bicycling!" the club promises. I certainly hope my talk lives up to the hype.

Fortunately, I don' t have to do all the talking. My presentation also includes a screening of "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment," the documentary film produced by Steve Kelly and Jim Klenn.

The meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Ladd Arboretum at McCormick and Bridge streets in Evanston, a northern suburb of Chicago and home of Northwestern University and my older sister, Teresa Parod.

Teresa is indirectly responsible for the invitation to speak to the club. She is not a member, but she gave a copy of the movie to a friend of hers who then showed it to members of the club.

Speaking of the film, it's still available online at tourdedonutmovie.com. The cost of the DVD is $18, including postage and handling.

Labels: clubs, cycling, Tour de Donut

Roger 1 comments 12:49 PM

Signs of spring

Today, we in the St. Louis area are digging out from a winter storm that hit the region Tuesday. Down in the Belleville area, we got about 3 or 4 inches, while northern parts of the region got more. Jill Homer of the Up in Alaska blog just might enjoy cycling in our region today!

But there are signs that spring soon will be upon us! The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals begin spring training today with the pitchers and catchers reporting to the Cardinals' camp in Jupiter, Fla.

Can the Cardinals defend their title? The odds are against them, given the lack of back-to-back World Series winners in recent years. I still think the Cardinals are the favorites to win National League Central title. The starting lineup, if it stays reasonably healthy, is the strongest in the division, and I have faith in the ability of manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan to build a respectable starting rotation. Many "experts" think this might be the Chicago Cubs' year to steal the division from the Cardinals, but I'm still making plans for my 100 Years of Cubs Futility party in 2008. (The Cubs' last World Series win came in 1908, in case you're wondering!) I just don't think the Cubs' moves were all that great, and I'm more concerned about the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros than the Cubbies.

To get much more expert analysis of the Cardinals than I'm able to offer, I encourage you to visit the Belleville News-Democrat and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The coming of spring training also is a reminder that cycling season will be upon us. I don't ride outside much in the winter because of residual effects of my childhood asthma, but I will be back outside when the temperature hits 50, give or take a few degrees. Early spring cycling in our region means plenty of headwinds because the wind blows freely over the dormant farm fields, but the upside of that is that the headwinds help build my legs for climbing later in the season.

Labels: baseball, cycling, spring

Roger 0 comments 12:15 PM

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Do you know your state capitals?

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Thanks to old pencil box I had as a child, I knew the capitals of all 50 states when I was 5 years old! More than 15 years ago, my dad gave me a pop quiz on the capitals, and I still knew them.

And I still know them today! Go take the quiz and see how well you know the capitals!

Labels: fun, trivia

Roger 0 comments 2:19 PM

Spycams and bicycle trails

I share with you two stories that were published today in the Belleville News-Democrat that may be of interest to St. Louis-area cyclists:

Spy camera network will be put on island: The city of Madison, Ill., plans to install a $40,000 network of 22 spy cameras on 6,000-acre Chouteau Island to record who goes there and what they do.

Chouteau Island is a sliver of land between the Mississippi River and the Chain of Rocks Canal. Cyclists and pedestrians can access the island via the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which links Illinois with north St. Louis. While Interstate 270 goes through the island, the only way motorists can access the island is by crossing a two-lane bridge that takes Chain of Rocks Road across the canal.

Madison Mayor John Hamm told the News-Democrat he hopes the cameras will catch and discourage people who have been dumping old refrigerators, stoves and other trash on the island.

"It's totally crazy. I can't believe what I see out there," Hamm told the paper. "We even had a dead body out there a couple of months ago."

The new cameras will record pictures of vehicles and their license plate numbers on the island's road and the Chain of Rocks Canal Bridge. The story does not make it clear whether cameras will be installed on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge itself or the Missouri parking lot for the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which is closed because of a rash of car vandalism and theft in the lot.

As for the lot, Trailnet -- which operates the old Chain of Rocks Bridge for the city of Madison -- is planning a meeting later this month with other bridge stakeholders to discuss what to do about security on the Missouri lot, Trailnet spokeswoman Kathi Weilbacher told the News-Democrat.

Seibert Road is undergoing a facelift: Commuters who use Seibert Road in Shiloh to get to Scott Air Force Base will have to be patient for the next few years while the narrow country road undergoes a complete facelift. Cyclists frequently use Seibert Road to access other roads as part of their cycling routes.

The entire project includes widening the road, adding storm sewers, curbs and gutters, the News-Democrat reported.

A 10-foot-wide, multi-use bike trail will be built along the reconstructed Seibert Road as part of the Shiloh-Scott Trail. Eventually, the trail will hook up with other bike trail systems in the metro-east and enable cyclists, joggers and walkers to travel from Troy to Scott Air Force Base.

Labels: cycling, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, safety, trails

Roger 0 comments 9:50 AM

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Tour of Missouri Route press conference

As expected today at a press conference in Kansas City, Mo., the organizers of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race announced the host cities for the inaugural event. Here are some excerpts from the press release:

The cities of Kansas City, Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Charles, and St. Louis have been selected to play host to either a start and/or finish of the race.

“The Tour of Missouri is a great opportunity to showcase these towns and cities, and for Missouri as a whole,” Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said. “I support the Tour of Missouri because of the economic and health benefits that Missouri can realize by hosting these professional, world-class athletes from the heart of Missouri’s largest cities to some of Missouri’s most scenic rural areas.”

The Tuesday through Sunday race breaks down as follows:

Stage 1, Kansas City to Kansas City, road race
The race will start in Missouri’s second largest city in Kansas City, Tuesday, Sept. 11, as cyclists will race an out-and-back course.

Stage 2, Clinton to Springfield, road race
After an auto transfer, Stage 2 will start in Clinton, the trailhead of Missouri’s famous Katy Trial cross-state bike path, and race to Missouri’s third-largest city Springfield, Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Stage 3, Branson, individual time trial
The caravan will make its way 40 miles south Thursday for an individual time trial in the hilly resort town of Branson, Thursday, Sept.r 13. For Stage 3, cyclists will race against the clock during this all-important “race of truth”, which could determine the overall winner.

Stage 4, Lebanon to Columbia, road race
The caravan transfer north to the agricultural town of Lebanon for the start of Stage 4, routing north to the collegiate town of Columbia, home to the University of Missouri, Friday, Sept. 14.

Stage 5, Jefferson City to St. Charles, road race
After a short auto transfer south, Stage 5 will start in Missouri’s capital Jefferson City and travel through the state’s wine region en route to the historic river city of St. Charles, Saturday, Sept. 15.

Stage 6, St. Louis, circuit race
The cross-state journey for the world’s top cyclists will finish in Missouri’s largest city, St. Louis, Sunday, Sept. 16. In the shadows of the arch, the race will have gone through more than 20 counties, 50 towns and cities, and covered about 600 miles.

“Missouri is an absolutely beautiful state for a professional cycling race of this nature. It has rich and varied terrain. I think cyclists will be surprised by the amount of hills in the state,” said Jim Birrell, the race’s director and managing partner of Medalist Sports, of whom also manage the Amgen Tour of California and Tour de Georgia. “The enthusiasm from state leaders in Jefferson City, to the civic leaders in the communities hosting this event, to the sports enthusiasts in Missouri really has been overwhelming. There already is a great grass roots buzz about this event. The event shows great promise and hasn’t even started yet.”

Exact locations of each start and finish line will be announced this spring. More than 120 world-class cyclists from more than 15 countries are expected to participate, along with one of the world’s top professional teams, the Discovery Channel team, owned by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. The team features top Americans George Hincapie (the current U.S. Professional Champion), Levi Leipheimer (a three-time top 10 Tour de France finisher) and young star Tom Danielson, the winner of the 2005 Tour de Georgia.

For the full press release, visit the Tour of Missouri Web site, which also was updated today with a new look and some new features.

Will the Specialized Angel, Jana Ireton, be there? She's heard whispers she may spread her wings about Tour de Georgia, but she hasn't heard anything yet about the Tour of Missouri.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 5:07 PM

Cycling issues in Illinois

The League of Illinois Bicyclists will pursue several significant changes in Illinois traffic law designed to give more protection to cyclists.

The first is Senate Bill 80. The proposal would:

• Require vehicles leave a minimum of 3 feet clearance when passing bikes.
• Clarify that bikes do not have to stay close to the right-hand curb where right turns are permitted.
• Permit the option of using the right arm and hand to signal a right turn.

LIB has created a PDF file illustrating what the law would mean for cyclists and motorists.

The second is a new negligent vehicular homicide bill closing a gap in legal prosecution. The bill was prompted by the death of Matt Wilhelm, who died after a car driven by a woman distracted by loading cell phone ring tones struck him near Champaign, Ill. The LIB Web site also includes an article by Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz concerning the case.

Rietz came under fire from cycling advocates in the Champaign-Urbana area about her decision not to pursue felony charges against the woman, but Rietz contends current state law and case law would not have allowed the stronger charges to be filed.

The woman, Jennifer Stark, pleaded guilty to improper lane usage, the only charge filed in the accident. Stark received the maximum penalty for the offense: a maximum sentence of six months of conditional discharge, a form of probation without reporting to an officer; a $1,000 fine; and traffic safety school.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Illinois, League of Illinois Bicyclists, safety

Roger 1 comments 2:49 AM

Cycling issues in Missouri

There's good news and bad news regarding cycling on the Missouri side of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

First, the good news: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday that work on an additional 11 miles of the Katy Trail in St. Charles County should begin this summer. Gov. Matt Blunt announced Wednesday that the state and the local levee district have finally reached an agreement on completing the section of trail from St. Charles north to Machens.

Blunt said the state has asked Ameren Corp. to let the state use an old Rock Island Railroad bed it owns as part of the trail, the Post-Dispatch This would extend the trail from Windsor, east of Clinton, to Pleasant Hill, a suburb of Kansas City.

Now, the bad news: Fritz's Cycle-licious blog has picked up on the controversy raised by some cyclists about the plans to divert motorized traffic from Interstate 64/U.S. Highway 40 onto Clayton Road, a popular road with St. Louis County cyclists, during the reconstruction of I-64/U.S. 40.

I haven't written about the topic because I thought it was being handled well by the Missouri Bicycle Federation and the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation forums. Since I don't have a lot of first-hand experience riding on St. Louis County roads -- the bulk of my local riding is done on Illinois roads and trails -- I'm not sure how qualified I am to offer an opinion.

The concerns is that the plan for Clayton Road to handle some of the I-64/U.S. 40 would eliminate the wide lanes popular with cyclists, and there are fears that the altered lanes would become permanent once the highway work is done.

Garry Earls, St. Louis County's chief highway engineer, told one member of STLBikeFed:

... St. Louis County has neither considered nor proposed that bicycle traffic be banned on public roads. We know that in a perfect world, the masses would embrace bicycle riding as their regular mode of transportation. It's good for the heart and good for the planet. We don't live in a perfect world. In the real world, our community is composed of a diverse population measured from any statistic. It is clear that commuter patterns and family composition establish a level of motor vehicle traffic on our roads that cannot be swept away by any transportation planner's idealism. The reality of our circumstances is that for an extremely high percentage of our road users, the 10-speed simply isn't an option for traveling to work or getting children to school.

And that is the crux of the issue: Is the greater good served by providing options that serve the populace as it now stands, or is it better served by options that change the way people approach transportation in the region?

Labels: advocacy, commuting, cycling, Katy Trail, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 12:31 AM

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

The Return of the Angel!

Cycling fans -- especially male ones -- will be happy to learn that Jana Ireton will reprise her role as the Specialized Angel during this year's Amgen Tour of California, slated for Feb. 18-25.

I sent an e-mail to Jana on Monday night, and she responded to me Tuesday afternoon. Here's her reply:

Hello Roger,

Thank you so much for your nice email. It is great to hear from you again. I am happy to announce that I will be returning with Specialized this year as their Angel for the TOC!!!

I'm so excited to be a part of TOC for the 2nd year. I was delighted that Specialized asked for my return. Last year was incredible as the Specialized Angel being at 4 tours: TOC, Sea Otter, Giro (d'Italia), and TOF (Tour de France). Amazing!!!

Thank you as well for mentioning me on your blog. It is such a privilege and I do have your blog saved in my favorites and have passed it on to all my friends, family, and of course Specialized and my good friends in the cycling industry too. ...

Angel Kisses,
Jana Ireton

For those of you unable to see the Tour of California live, the race will be broadcast this year on the Versus channel (formerly OLN), and the TV schedule has been posted on the tour's Web site.

This year's race should be of special of interest to bicycle racing fans in the Midwest. It will give you a taste of what to expect in the inaugural Tour of Missouri, which will be Sept. 11-16. The same organization that manages the Tour of California, Medalist Sports, also will manage the Tour of Missouri.

We can only hope that in addition to the elite cyclists that will be coming to Missouri that the Specialized Angel will be coming to spread her blessings among cyclists and spectators alike!

Speaking of the Tour of Missouri, the KCBike.Info blog is reporting that there will be an announcement concerning the route Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. The folks in Springfield, Mo., are confident their city will be the finishing spot for an early stage of the tour, the Springfield News-Leader reports.

And if the map released early today by the Missouri Bicycle Federation (PDF file) is correct, they shall have their wish. The map -- which lacks information about the precise roads that will be used -- indicates the following:

Stage 1 (Sept. 11): Road race with finishing circuit in Kansas City
Stage 2 (Sept. 12): Road race from Clinton to Springfield
Stage 3 (Sept. 13): Time trial in Branson
Stage 4 (Sept. 14): Road race from Lebanon to Columbia
Stage 5 (Sept. 15): Road race from Jefferson City to St. Charles
Stage 6 (Sept. 16): Circuit race in St. Louis

Labels: cycling, racing, Specialized Angel, Tour of California, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:02 AM

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Bicycling for Brough

The Belleville City Council has given its approval to the Bicycling for Brough fund-raising ride April 21-22 at Central Junior High School in Belleville, Ill.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the story about Sgt. Jon Brough, he was blinded and severely injured on Nov. 10, 2006, when he was shot in the face during a police raid to arrest a man accused of killing a Swansea, Ill., couple. Belleville residents have rallied to help Sgt. Brough and his family, and Bicycling for Brough is the newest effort to assist them.

The Touring Cyclist shop of Fairview Heights and Johnston Realty are organizing the event. The cost is $15 for individuals and $30 for families. Students will have the opportunity to collect pledges per mile for the ride. The ride will offer 4-mile, 8-mile and 30-mile routes. The shorter routes are designed for grade school students and less-experienced adults, while the long route will take more experienced bicyclists toward Millstadt.

You can find out more about the ride by contacting Touring Cyclist store manager Dawn Weber at 398-6800 or fhstaff@touringcyclist.com. Information soon should be available at Touring Cyclist's Web site, but you can sign up for the ride today through Active.com.

Labels: Belleville, cycling, tours

Roger 0 comments 10:34 AM

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Reaction to Mercury-News cycling bill story

The reactions are hot and heavy to Monday's San Jose Mercury-News article about the California bill that would require motorists give cyclists at least 3 feet of clearance while passing.

A poll and forum on the Mercury-News' Web site has drawn more than 900 votes and more than 90 responses. As of Thursday afternoon, 55 percent of the poll respondents favor the bill.

The responses are pretty typical on both sides of the issues, so take a look at them for yourself. My take is that both sides would be better off if they take the time to learn the rules or the road for motorists and cyclists and, more importantly, follow them.

Labels: cycling, safety

Roger 0 comments 2:12 PM