Saturday, March 31, 2007

Riders needed for Route 66 Trail-Breaking

The League of Illinois Bicyclists is looking for riders -- especially in downstate Illinois -- for the Route 66 Trail-Breaking ride on Saturday, June 2.

Bicyclists and other "trail-breakers" will traverse the entire 369 miles of Illinois' new Route 66 Trail, a route of quieter roads and trails showing off the best of the old "Mother Road." The event will highlight bike tourism on the Route 66 Trail while giving a boost for road and trail improvements along the way.

Bicyclists will each ride one of 14 legs of the Route 66 Trail, simultaneously covering the entire distance of the route. They will converge at six different Route 66 towns, where ceremonies will be held at noon. Cyclists choose from one of these 14 segments, covering the main route and western alternate route. You can ride a whole segment or start anywhere along the way.

In a recent e-mail, LIB Executive Director Ed Barsotti told me that there's been great response to the ride in the Chicago area, but that riders are needed for the segments of the ride leading to ceremonies in Edwardsville and Staunton.

The Edwardsville segments are 15 miles from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and 40 miles from Litchfield. The Staunton segments are 17 miles from Litchfield, 26 miles from Carlinville and 40 miles from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

The Staunton ceremony will have added significance because it includes the dedication of the Leroy Duda Garden, the southern trailhead of the ITS (Illinois Traction System) Trail. The ITS Trail eventually will link Staunton and Benld, and the long-term goal is for it to be part of a trail system that will link St. Louis and Springfield.

Other Route 66 communities where ceremonies will be held are Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington and Springfield.

The ride is free, but you have to register with LIB. To register or to get more information about the ride, visit http://www.lepirtle.com/lib/route66/rt66form1.cfm.

Labels: cycling, League of Illinois Cyclists, Route 66

Roger 2 comments 1:15 AM

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Work planned for MCT Nature Trail

Madison County Transit soon will be replacing the pavement on a section of the MCT Nature Trail between Pontoon Beach and Edwardsville, Ill., that is in dire need of repair.

Dan Corbett, a friend of mine and a member of MCT's board of trustees, said the board today accepted bids on the project.

The section of the Nature Trail that will be affected by the repairs is between Chain of Rocks Road just outside Edwardsville and the junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail near Long Lake in Pontoon Beach.

That section of the trail will be closed during the repaving, but no exact timetable has been set for the work.

At the moment, that section of trail is open, but please use caution and watch for warning signs and cones -- especially if you ride a road bike. The cracks in the pavement can easily catch a road tire.

The reason why the section of the Nature Trail has deteriorated so much is because of the soil conditions beneath the trail surface, Dan said. Work will be done to the bed beneath the trail to make it better suited to handle an asphalt trail.

Thanks to MCT's extensive trail system, you'll still be able to ride on a trail between the Granite City/Pontoon Beach area and the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area while work is being done on the Nature Trail. Instead of using the Nature Trail, you can use the Nickel Plate Trail between Long Lake and the eastern end of the Nature Trail.

Labels: bicycling, MCT Trails, trails

Roger 0 comments 1:42 PM

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Bicycling and wine in the metro-east

While it's true that the Illinois counties of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area -- also known as the metro-east -- can't be confused with the Napa Valley of California when it comes to wine or scenic cycling, the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society is doing its best to connect cycling with the growing wine industry in Southwestern Illinois.

I spent much of the afternoon in Edwardsville scoping the two wineries in that city, Vintner's Cellar Winery and Springer's Creek Winery.

Unfortunately, the Springer's Creek Winery, 817 Hillsboro St., was closed today, although it's open from noon to 7 p.m.Thursday through Sunday. The good news for cyclists is that's easily accessible from Madison County Transit's Quercus Grove Trail. The rear of the winery abuts the trail at Chapman Street.

In the fall, the BABES visited the Vintner's Cellar Winery, 1017 Century Drive in the University Pointe II shopping center. Although poor weather kept the numbers down, we were impressed with what Vintner's Cellar had to offer. It, too, has easy access to the MCT Trails system; it's a short ride from that winery to the MCT Nature Trail.

The BABES started doing winery rides in the fall of 2005 at the Ravissant Winery in Belleville. After touring the hilly countryside near Belleville and Millstadt, we gather to sample some of Ravissant's wine and enjoy music. Owners Matthew and Kristine LaMons have been most gracious hosts to our group.

Last year, we added the Hidden Lake Winery near Aviston into the mix. The riding near that winery is considerably less difficult than near the Ravissant Winery. While you have to go off the beaten track to find the winery, the trip is well worth it. Hidden Lake is one of two wineries chosen to host this year's Illinois Wine Festival.

We've yet to explore the Lau-Nae Winery in Red Bud, the Black Diamond Vineyards near Nashville, the Piasa Winery, Aerie's Riverview Winery and the Chateau Ra-Ha Winery in Grafton or the Schorr Lake Vineyard in Waterloo, but there's plenty of time for that.

Although exploring wineries and bicycling can be a nice mix, obviously you shouldn't ride a bicycle or drive a car if you have had too much to drink. It doesn't take a lot of wine to get you over the legal limit -- just ask St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, cycling, wine

Roger 0 comments 8:38 PM

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Discounts for Tour de Stooges

Just a reminder that you have a week to take advantage of discounts of up to $10 for the Tour de Stooges bicycle ride, which is on Saturday, May 5, at McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill.

If you register before April 1, the registration fees are:

• $12 for Hostelling International members and McKendree College students and staff.
• $15 for non-members.
• $7 for children ages 5-12.
• $7 for non-riders who want to eat at the buffet and watch Stooge films.
• Children younger than 5 are free.
• $35 Family Pack for two adults and two children 5-12. Additional adults and children pay full price.

If you sign up for the Tour de Stooges between April 1 and May 4, you still can get a discount of up to $5.

The other benefit of signing up before April 1 is that you get a $5 discount off your T-shirt. If you order your T-shirt before April 1, the cost of the shirt is $20 and you will receive your shirt the day of the ride. After April 1, the shirt will cost $25 and you may not get your shirt the day of the ride.

We've already had great response to pre-registration, and we hope to see you in Lebanon on May 5!

Labels: cycling, Tour de Stooges

Roger 0 comments 1:25 PM

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge parking update

Starting April 1, Trailnet will make monitored attendant parking available at the Missouri entrance to the historic Old Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River.

Monitored parking will be available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday until November 1. St. Louis Parking will be collecting fees of $3 per vehicle and $10 for 15-passenger or larger vehicles at the Missouri lot. Walkers and bicyclists entering the bridge from the St. Louis Riverfront Trail and Madison County Transit's Confluence Trail will not be charged.

Because of vandalism and car thefts in the Missouri parking lot, Trailnet closed access to the parking area during the off-peak season when monitored parking is not provided. The bridge is open daily for bicycle and pedestrian access, from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

“Trailnet is committed to keeping the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge open to bicyclists and pedestrians,” Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack said in a press release. “There is also free parking at the Illinois entrance to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge."

Trailnet, in partnership with the city of Madison, Ill., renovated the bridge as a bicycle/pedestrian bridge. For many decades the bridge was a key link in the beloved Route 66 and was recently named to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the bridge is a key link in the bi-state trail system and is part of The Confluence Project, a riverside conservation, heritage and recreation corridor being developed in the St. Louis region.

Labels: Missouri, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, safety, St. Louis, Trailnet, trails

Roger 2 comments 12:57 PM

Thursday, March 22, 2007

I'm talking about donuts!

Well, I made it through my talk about the Tour de Donut just fine, and "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment" co-director/producer Jim Klenn will be glad to know that I even sold a few copies of the film to members of the Evanston Bicycle Club!

I want to thank the club for their hospitality and the warm welcome they gave me. The club has about 500 members, and more than 50 showed up for Tuesday's meeting where I gave the presentation. Appropriately enough, they served doughnuts before the meeting.

The Evanston Bicycle Club sounds like the type of club I would like to be involved with if I lived in the Chicago area rather than the St. Louis area. For example, one of their rides is called the Hot Dog Tour, where they travel to various hot dog stands in the Evanston area. No, it's not a competitive eating/bicycle ride like the Tour de Donut, but I think there's potential there!

All in all, it was a pleasurable couple of days in the Chicago area. The Amtrak ride gave me plenty of time to read Mike Magnuson's "Heft on Wheels." In the next couple of days, I'll give my thoughts about the book, but now it's time to get back into reality.

Labels: bicycle clubs, Tour de Donut

Roger 0 comments 10:32 AM

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Bono has The Edge

Gee, I wonder whether the Eurosport editor who wrote this headline is a U2 fan?

Bono has the edge

In case you're wondering what the story is about, Italy's Matteo Bono of the Lampre team won the mountainous 162 km sixth stage to San Giacomo while Germany's Andreas Kloeden grabbed the overall lead finishing ninth Monday in the penultimate stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in Italy.

That headline writer isn't the the first editor to have U2 influence his or her headlines. Back in 1999, the Times-News in Burlington, N.C., had a story about several thoroughfares in Burlington and nearly communities that suddenly changed names.

My headline for that story? "Where the streets have two names."

During the next day's critique of the paper, one reporter who caught the U2 reference said that was the most interesting thing about that day's front page. It must not have been a very exciting front page if that was the most interesting thing on it!

Well, I better get going to the train station because I have to make it on time, make it on time. ...

Labels: cycling, journalism, racing, U2

Roger 0 comments 6:04 AM

Today's the day!

In a matter of hours, I will be speaking to the Evanston Bicycle Club about the origins of the Tour de Donut. I just got off work, but I'm going to get a little bit of sleep before I have to drive up to Alton and catch the 7:21 a.m. Amtrak to Chicago.

I'm a much better writer than a public speaker, but at least I don't have to do much talking because the film "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment" will be shown.

For those of you in the Chicago area who are interested in seeing the film, the meeting is at 7:30 p.m. at the Ladd Arboretum at McCormick and Bridge streets in Evanston.

I'm also looking forward to seeing my sister Teresa and her husband, Bill, as well as their wonderful children, Julius and Sereana. I'm also looking forward to visiting the Art Institute, which I haven't done in several years.

I better sign off. It's time to get some shuteye!

Labels: bicycle clubs, family, Tour de Donut

Roger 0 comments 1:02 AM

Friday, March 16, 2007

Ellen's Trek giveaway

I just happened to be flipping channels at home this morning when I suddenly noticed Ellen DeGeneres standing around with a bunch of bicycles.

It turns out that she was giving away Trek's Lime bicycle to her audience. And not only that, she's giving away Lime bicycles to lucky members of her TV audience!

So I went ahead and took a chance.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Trek's Lime bicycle, here's some facts about it:

• The Lime shifts automatically, using an three-speed rear hub electronic Shimano shifting system powered by a generator in the front hub. "It works kind of like the the automatic transmission in your Aunt Edna's Buick," Trek says.
• Lime's seat folds up to reveal a handy storage space.
• You can pick a variety of colors to trim your Lime, everything from pink to -- of course -- lime green.

You probably wouldn't want to take a Trek Lime on a weeklong bicycle trip, but it just might be the right bike for bicycle commuting, running errands or cruising around Mackinac Island.

If you want to get in the running for one of Ellen's Trek Limes, you better sign up today because she has a different giveaway each day.

Labels: bicycles, Ellen DeGeneres, Trek

Roger 1 comments 12:11 PM

LIB pushes safety enforcement

In preparation for May being National Bicycle Month, the League of Illinois Bicyclists is encouraging local law enforcement agencies to make special efforts to ensure cyclists and motorists can share the state's streets and highways safely. In a recent bulletin sent to the departments, LIB is sharing these ideas:

• When you see bicyclists and motorists make maneuvers that are dangerous, stop them and explain what they did wrong and the consequences. It’s better to make 50 preventive stops than to devote long hours to investigating a crash with injuries or a fatality.
  
• Be alert for situations in which motorists put bicyclists in danger – speeding, making left turns in front of oncoming bicyclists, failing to yield at stop signs and traffic lights, overtaking bicyclists without giving them sufficient space – at least three feet – and making right turns in front of bicyclists going in the same direction.
• Be alert for situations in which bicyclists put themselves and possibly motorists in danger – riding out of driveways or side streets without looking, failing to yield at stop signs and traffic lights, making left turns without signaling and checking over the shoulder for oncoming traffic.

To see the full list of ideas LIB is pushing, you can download a PDF file of the bulletin.

Labels: cycling, League of Illinois Bicyclists, safety

Roger 0 comments 12:08 AM

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Hello daylight-saving time!

To celebrate the return of daylight-saving time and to celebrate the birthday of Doug Kaufman -- albeit three weeks late -- we rode our bikes 42 miles from Alton, Ill., to Pere Marquette State Park on Sunday.

This amazing crew -- Brad Weisenstein, Roger "The Answer Man" Schlueter, yours truly and Doug -- decided to ignore common sense and ride all the way to the park's lodge for lunch. Since most of us had very few outdoor miles in 2007, it would have made more sense to ride the 26-mile round trip from Alton to Grafton. But since it was such an amazing day and since we had an extra hour of sunlight, we decided to go for broke.

Before we left Brad's house about noon, Doug had tried to tell me that I should ride my mountain bike instead of my road bike. Yes, I knew from plenty of first-hand experience that taking a road bike on the trails along the Great River Road often means a flat tire, but I took the road bike anyway.

Not surprisingly, Doug was right. About 19 miles into the mile, I had a flat. We couldn't find a piece of glass or a rock in the tire, so I wasn't sure what caused it. Although the path along the trail is paved, there's usually lots of debris on it. I know the locals don't like it, but I can understand why a lot of the people who ride road bikes in that area take the road rather than the trail.

Brad already was in jovial mood before the flat, singing such '70s classics as "Cherokee People." I can't remember whether it was Doug or Roger S. who said that we needed a handyman to help me with my flat, but that inspired Brad to start singing "The Candy Man."

"Who can take a sunrise. Sprinkle it in dew. Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two? The Candy Man. ... The Candy Man can. The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good."

"Now you got that stupid song in my head," Doug told Brad.

Unfortunately, that song stayed in Brad's head, too, and he kept singing it much of the rest of the way back to Alton.

After a filling meal at the Pere Marquette Lodge, we pointed our trusty steeds back toward Alton. Now the trip back home took a bit longer than the trip to the lodge because of the wind, the fact we didn't have enough outdoor miles under our belts before this ride, among other things.

Those other things were a big flock of migrating pelicans that found a temporary home in the shallow waters of the Mississippi River near Piasa Harbor. I didn't get a count, but there were easily several hundred pelicans making their temporary home here before continuing north toward Canada. We also found a great blue heron or two, along with several other birds taking advantage of the sources of food.

For a brief time, it was even warm enough for me to shed my jacket and show off my brand new orange jersey that Doug gave me for Christmas.

"At least you don't have to worry about any hunters shooting at you," Doug said.

Yes, but I will have to worry about people like Doug giving me lots of grief for this extremely loud orange jersey. Even with Doug shooting into the sun with the Illinois River in the background, you can see how bright it is. You can only imagine how it stands out in the sunshine.

The ride left my wrists, shoulders and butt sore and my legs tight, but all those things shall pass. As my old friend Linda Bowden once said, it was "shock therapy" to get all the cycling muscles back into gear. I'm looking forward to some good riding the next few weeks to get me ready for the Oklahoma FreeWheel ride in June.

P.S.: Thanks to Doug for providing the photos from this fine ride!

Labels: cycling, friends, Great River Road

Roger 2 comments 12:44 AM

Friday, March 09, 2007

The dress code: sub-zero casual

What would you wear to weave through city streets in bitter temperatures on your bicycle? One bike messenger showed his layers this week to the Montreal Gazette.

Keep in mind, that sub-zero is a bit different in Canada than it is in the United States because Canada uses the Celsius system rather than the Fahrenheit system as we do in the States. But any way you look at it, it's still cold.

The story lists what Montreal bike courier Sebastien Patenaude wears for work in winter, and the price tag comes up to $1,156 in Canadian dollars (about $990 in U.S. dollars).

The market remains strong for bike messengers despite the rise of faxes and e-mails because there simply are documents and packages that can't be delivered electronically, the Gazette reports.

You might also want to view a flipshow that accompanies the story. It shows a bike courier putting on all his layers.

Labels: bike messengers, Canada, Montreal

Roger 2 comments 7:39 PM

Underground Railroad Bicycle Route

The Adventure Cycling Association recently revealed its newest cross-country bicycle route, the 2,058-mile Underground Railroad Bicycle Route from Mobile, Ala., to Owen Sound, Ontario.

This bicycle route memorializes the Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which slaves attempted to escape for many years before and during the Civil War.

In Alabama and Mississippi, the route parallels the Tombigbee River, while in Tennessee and western Kentucky, it parallels the Tennessee River. In Kentucky, the route intersects Adventure Cycling's TransAmerica Trail between Carrsville and Sturgis, just a few miles and a short ferry ride away from Cave in Rock, Ill.

The route stays near the Ohio River until Brandenberg, Ky., where it crosses the river into Indiana. At Madison, Ind., the route again crosses the Ohio River back into Kentucky. The route traverses the northern tip of Kentucky. At Maysville, Ky., it crosses the Ohio River one last time into Ohio.

Once into Ohio, it backtracks to the Cincinnati suburb of Milford (and includes a spur into Cincinnati), then crosses the state to the Cleveland-Akron area. The route continues along Lake Erie through Pennsylvania and New York until Buffalo, where it crosses the Peace Bridge into Canada.

In Canada, the route goes through the Ontario city of Niagara Falls, skirts the southern tip of Lake Ontario, then continues to Owen Sound on the southern side of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.

Adventure Cycling has a short article that gives a good overview of the historical significance of the Underground Railroad, and you can learn about highlights of the route. Adventure Cycling is selling detailed maps of the route for those of you who want to do it alone, and is offering a supported tour of the route from Buffalo to Owen Sound on July 30-Aug. 5.

USA Today did a brief article about the new route today. Besides spotlighting the importance of the Underground Railroad, Adventure Cycling is attempting to introduce minorities to the joys of cycling. Here's a short snippet from the article:

That the predominantly white sport of bicycle touring is spotlighting black history isn't lost on Steven Thomas, director of the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh. The center, which works to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities, is using the Underground Railroad route as a vehicle to draw more black Americans to cycling. After three years in development, Thomas calls it "one of the most interesting partnerships to advance minority health and lift up black history."

A tip of the hat goes to my good friend Jeff Herman for pointing out the USA Today article to me.

Labels: Adventure Cycling Association, cycling, tours

Roger 0 comments 12:01 PM

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Gluttons for Punishment on YouTube

A couple of weeks ago, I posted the trailer for "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment," the documentary about the Tour de Donut bicycle "race" in Staunton, Ill., on YouTube. I'm including it below, but if you want to see a higher-quality version of the trailer, visit the movie's Web site:



For those of you who live in the Chicago area, the documentary will be shown Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Lake County Film Festival. See the Web site for times and locations.

Labels: film festivals, Tour de Donut

Roger 0 comments 1:28 AM

Monday, March 05, 2007

A big pet peeve

In her "Along for the Ride" column today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Elisa Crouch answers a question from a Pat Zach of Webster Groves, Mo.:

"In last week's column about bicycle commuting on Clayton Road, you mention that state law says bicyclists share the same rights and responsibilities as someone driving a car. My assumption would be that bicyclists are required to obey stop signals and signs. I can't tell you how often I see them ride right through a stop sign endangering themselves and auto drivers. Comment?"

In response, Crouch wrote:

"Bicyclists who don't follow the rules are a big pet peeve of mine. And unfortunately, far too many bicyclists act like they don't have any laws to follow."

She goes on to give a brief primer on the rules of the road and sources where you can find the rules of the road for Missouri and Illinois. You may want to go ahead and read the column to find out what she has to say.

Labels: cycling, safety, St. Louis

Roger 2 comments 6:40 PM

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Rides for a good cause

As the weather slowly warms up and thoughts of great bike rides go through our heads, I'd thought I'd spread the word about these rides that raise money for worthwhile charities:

Tour de Grape: There's still plenty of openings for the first-ever Tour de Grape bicycle tour May 12-13 in Farmington/Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The ride is a major fund-raiser for HavenHouse St. Louis, which provides lodging for the families of children receiving treatment at St. Louis-area hospitals. Both days have routes of about 45 and 60 miles. Day One takes you through the scenic country around Farmington and Fredericktown, while Day Two takes you into the historic French Colonial region around Ste. Genevieve and Randolph County, Ill. The cost of the ride is $25, plus $250 in pledges.

Beautiful Southern Ride: This ride, a fund-raiser for the Carbondale Boys and Girls Club, will travel over hill and dale past the lakes, wineries, and orchards of Southern Illinois, through the Shawnee National Forest and the Southern Illinois University campus. Routes of 15, 30 and 63 miles are available. For more information, visit the ride's Web site.

Tour de Cure: Join hundreds of cyclists for the 16th Annual St. Louis Area Tour de Cure at the Raging Rivers Water Park on June 9 in Grafton, Ill. This scenic bicycle tour will take you along the Great River Road in rural Illinois. Cyclists will have their choice of a 20-, 50- or 100-mile route. For more information, visit the ride's Web site.

Ride to Cure Diabetes: On Wednesday, I had the chance to meet Emily Rapp, the St. Louis-area coordinator for the Ride to Cure Diabetes, which raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The ride actually is a series of events in scenic locations such as Carmel, Calif., Whitefish, Mont., and Asheville, N.C. The cost of the event is $100, plus at least $4,000 in donations. That sounds steep, but people who reach their goal receive round-trip airfare to the ride location, three nights of hotel accommodations and other perks.

If you have know of any other charitable rides that are worthy of mention, please feel free to do so in the comments section.

Labels: charities, cycling, tours

Roger 0 comments 10:05 AM

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Roger Kramer Cycling: Version 3.0

If you're a regular visitor to this blog or the rest of my Web site, you'll notice some drastic changes in the look of the site. I just completed -- other than a little tweaking here and there -- my second redesign of the site since it first went online in April 2001. The site was last redesigned in the summer of 2001.

The most obvious change is the site's name. It's no longer Roger Kramer's Favorite Cycling Tours. Instead, the site's name is simply Roger Kramer Cycling. The bulk of this site still deals with bicycle touring. But over the years, the site -- especially this blog -- has evolved to include items about bicycle advocacy and safety, and it also includes news feeds to bicycle racing articles. That evolution has prompted me to make the name change.

I've also changed the typefaces and the background color to make it easier to read. As I learn more about various Web site tricks, I will make further changes to the font I use for the headlines to make them more distinctive.

The navigation throughout the entire site has changed, and I hope it improves your ability to go through the various pages of the site.

Links for archives to this blog are now in the right column, beneath the links to other blogs. I was forced to make some changes in the archival system because of upgrades Blogger made to its system.

The site is now completely designed with Cascading Style Sheets. What that means is that it should take less time for pages to download, plus it gives me the freedom to easily tweak the look of the site.

I hope you enjoy the new look of Roger Kramer Cycling. The goal of this site is to provide accurate information about the world of cycling in an attractive, readable way, and I hope this redesign achieves that goal.

Labels: redesign, Web site

Roger 6 comments 10:49 AM