Sunday, September 30, 2007

Bicycles as a crime-fighting tool

In a story about the effect of crime on people who live in the Illinois counties of the St. Louis metropolitan area, the Belleville News-Democrat mentioned that having police officers on bicycles can be an effective tool in the effort to prevent crime in neighborhoods:

"Bikes are ... more approachable than patrol cars," said Edwardsville Police Maj. Donald Lask. "Sometimes people are more standoffish around a patrol car than (they are) with a bike."

Currently, five Edwardsville police officers are assigned to bike patrol, which offers access to playgrounds, school yards and bike paths.

"A patrol car just cruises around a school," Lask said, emphasizing that because residents tend to connect more easily with cops on two wheels, bike patrols have it all over most community policing tools -- except maybe foot patrols."

It's not surprising to me those remarks came from the Edwardsville Police Department since it's probably the most bike-friendly community in the metro-east, thanks in part to the many Madison County Transit trails that cross that city.

Labels: bicycles, Illinois, safety

Roger 1 comments 8:57 AM

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Tour of Missouri's on the 2008 calendar

Missouri leaders have said they are committed to at least two more years of the Tour of Missouri, and they got a shot in the arm this week.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports today that The Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling's international governing body, and USA Cycling have given their blessings to the second Tour of Missouri, scheduled to begin next year on the second Tuesday of September, just as the inaugural event did. Using that schedule, that would take place Sept. 9. The route and host cities will be announced later.

Columnist Kathleen Nelson also discusses the grandiose plans of Frank Arokiasamy, a business consultant in San Francisco who earned a Ph.D. in economics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, to create a Tour of America intended to rival the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.

The column reports one major problem with Tour of America: It's not on the UCI calendar for 2008. Because of that, it would be highly unlikely it would draw major cyclists.

Besides, the event -- slated for Sept. 6-Oct. 5 -- would conflict with Tour of Missouri and Vuelta a España.

In case you're curious, Tour of America has posted a schedule for the race. On Sept. 12, there would be a 250-mile stage from Indianapolis to St. Louis. On the 13th, there would be a 130-mile stage from St. Louis to Carbondale, Ill., and on the 14th, there would be a 205-mile stage from Carbondale to Nashville, Tenn.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 1:04 AM

Friday, September 21, 2007

Catching up

Tour of Missouri on Versus: Highlights from the 2007 Tour of Missouri will be shown from 3 to 5 p.m. CDT Saturday on the Versus cable TV channel. If you missed the live video feeds last week, it will give you a great chance to see how hilly Missouri really is, not to mention to see Discovery Channel's last race in the United States. The two-hour show also will be broadcast from 3 to 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Floyd Landis: It was a shame, but not all that surprising, that Floyd Landis lost his 2006 Tour de France title. I really don't know what I can add to what's already been written in The Associated Press, VeloNews and other sources.

Late-night cycling in Collinsville: The 19th annual Italian Fest Paisan Pedal Push will begin at 11:59 p.m. Saturday for a short, leisurely ride through the city of Collinsville, Ill. The event begins at the Collinsville Memorial Public Library, 318 W. Main St. The cost of the ride is $12, and registration will close at 11:45 p.m.

Legislation update: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich used his amendatory veto on a bill that would require bicycle and pedestrian ways to be given full consideration in the planning and development of transportation facilities, including the incorporation of such ways into state-funded transportation plans and programs in urban areas. Blagojevich said he would sign the bill if the wording is changed from "shall" to "may." The League of Illinois Bicyclists says the amendatory veto "gutted" the bill.

Break-in at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge: Bill McClellan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a column in today's paper about a Charlotte, N.C., couple on a cross-country ride to raise awareness of brain injuries. Unfortunately, someone broke into their support van, which was parked Wednesday at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge parking lot in St. Louis. Here's an excerpt from the column:

Ben and Lee Ann Berry parked their van at the Chain of Rocks Bridge and pedaled toward the Arch, By the way, at the entrance to the bridge, there is a banner. "It is quite possible that your unattended car will be broken into while you are away including your trunk."

While Ben and Lee Ann were away, somebody broke into their van.

The thief or thieves took Ben's computer, Lee Ann's cell phone and her purse, which had her credit cards, her personal identification and a number of coupons from the Cracker Barrel Restaurant chain, which is one of the Berrys' sponsors.

Sadly, break-ins aren't anything new at that parking lot. Trailnet, which maintains the bridge, provides secure vehicle parking at the Missouri entrance, but it's available only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until Nov. 1. After Nov. 1, the Missouri entrance will only be open for vehicle parking during special events.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Illinois, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, racing, safety, television, tours

Roger 2 comments 10:58 AM

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Painting the highway: Tour de Coal

Today, Jim Marcacci and I painted arrows on the route for Saturday's Tour de Coal in Benld, Ill.

The good news about the ride: We already have more pre-registered riders for the event than we had for the entire event last year. It's good to know that people are returning to the ride and telling others about it. The event is well-supported by the communities of Benld and Gillespie and neighboring smaller towns and area law-enforcement agencies.

The bad news: Gillespie Township picked this week to put new oil and chip on many of its roads. One of the frustrating things that bicycle ride leaders in rural parts of Illinois face is the unpredictable way township highway departments decide when to do the work. Unfortunately, it's too late to do a major reroute of the course, so we will have to deal with it.

The affected areas of the route are many roads west of Illinois Route 4 and north of Illinois Route 138. The rest of the roads on the 15-, 30- and 63-mile routes are in pretty good shape.

Here's some tips for riding on freshly oil-and-chipped roads that appeared in an August newsletter of the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society:

• Ride as far to the right as safely possible, most likely on a path that has been at least partly smoothed by automobile traffic.
• In case of approaching cars, slow down in case you have to move onto loose gravel so cars can get around you.
• Watch out for small piles of loose gravel that go across the road. That's where the trucks dumped the last of their loads.
• Be exceptionally careful at intersections, especially those where you will be turning, because loose gravel tends to accumulate there.

We hope the roadwork doesn't discourage you from coming to the Tour de Coal. People in the Benld-Gillespie area really work hard to make the ride a success, so come over and share in the area's rich history and coal mining heritage. The route goes near more than 20 inactive and active coal mines, plus the 63-mile route goes on an old alignment of Route 66 between Staunton and Mount Olive and visits the Mother Jones Monument in Mount Olive.

Benld is located about halfway between St. Louis and Springfield, Ill. Registration is from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday at Benld Elementary School, but you can save money by pre-registering for the ride before 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Below is a link to a map on how to get there:



Directions to
100 E Dorsey St, Benld, IL 62009

Labels: Illinois, Tour de Coal

Roger 0 comments 11:15 PM

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Final thoughts on the 2007 Tour of Missouri

By most accounts, the first-ever Tour of Missouri was a big success. Thousands of people -- many of whom had never seen a bicycle race before -- got a taste of what big-time bicycle racing is all about.

Here's some final thoughts about the race and its future:

Will there be a 2008 version of the Tour of Missouri? Yes. Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder says the state is committed to supporting the race in 2008 and 2009. This year, the state put in $1 million toward the race. While some folks are concerned about how the money is being spent and whether using a bicycle race to promote tourism in the state is a wise investment, Kinder and his boss, Gov. Matt Blunt, believe the event will promote tourism in Missouri.

While the Tour of Missouri did not have a title sponsor in 2007, lots of Missouri businesses did pour money into the event. The fan turnout may convince those businesses to maintain or increase their investment into the event, and if the sport of cycling can further clean up its act as far as doping is concerned, Medalist Sports just may succeed in finding a title sponsor.

Why prompted the strong fan turnout? Two words: Discovery Channel. The fact that Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and third-place finisher Levi Leipheimer, along with George Hincapie, were in the race automatically increased interest in the race. The fact that the Tour of Missouri was the final U.S. appearance for Discovery Channel was another drawing card.

The crowd estimates for Stage 6 in St. Louis ranged from 55,000 to 60,000, very strong considering there were two other major sporting events that drew more than 100,000 between them in St. Louis at the same time. While some spots on the 10.6-mile circuit only had a few fans, such as the backstretch on Olive Street pictured above, the start-finish line at Union Station and many streets in or near the Central West End neighborhood were jammed with fans.

Kansas City's Stage 1 had a turnout of about 40,000, and Stage 5 from Jefferson City to St. Charles drew about 30,000, including a large contingent on the Schluersberg Road hill.

Can Tour of Missouri repeat the buzz? That depends on whether Hincapie's and Leipheimer's new teams are interested in coming to Missouri next year. While there were a lot of promising riders in the Tour of Missouri, those cyclists don't get a lot of attention in the mainstream media.

I'm not sure how many top European pros will come over for the Tour of Missouri. If the 2008 version of the race is run in September, it once again will conflict with the Vuelta a España.

Where will the Tour of Missouri in the future? You would think that the event would go to St. Louis and Kansas City every year, and you can make a strong argument that the Springfield-Branson area should get a stage annually. Only a small portion of this year's route went north of Interstate 70, so St. Joseph and the hilly countryside in northwestern Missouri could get some consideration. No doubt, Cape Girardeau and its cycling community will be seeking a piece of the action as well.

Highlights of the Tour of Missouri: The obvious ones: Hincapie's overall victory, especially his finish in Stage 2 in Springfield; Leipheimer's time trial victory; the challenge cyclists faced with the seemingly unending "rolling" hills of Missouri; and the fan turnout.

Lowlights of the Tour of Missouri: Dan Schmatz's encounter with the armadillo in Stage 2 and Brad Huff's accident on the final sprint in Stage 6. Both were unfortunate because they are Missouri natives who wanted to put on a good show in the Show-Me State.

Labels: cycling, Missouri, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 1:01 AM

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Congrats to George Hincapie

George Hincapie made sure Discovery Channel's swan song in the United States was a sweet one by winning the overall title of the first-ever Tour of Missouri.

Thousands of fans -- I don't know how many -- lined the 10.6-mile circuit in St. Louis. I wonder how many more would have been there had there not been two other major sporting events going on at St. Louis at the same time, but there seemed to be more than enough support for Tour of Missouri.

One of the interesting things I saw on the back stretch was after the fifth lap, when groups of cyclists were cruising down the road toward to the finish. I assume they had been watching the race from other vantage points, such as the Central West End.

I saw two of my friends from the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society, Randy Love and Gail Taylor. Randy also saw the cyclists climb Schluersburg Road near Augusta during Stage 5. "It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen," said Randy, whose cycling skills belie her age.

Congratulations go out as well to Stage 6 winner Ivan Dominguez, who also was the top sprinter for the entire tour. Jeff Louder already had won the King of the Mountains since there were no KOM points to be had in Sunday's stage.

Slipstream-Chipotle, the heir-apparent to Discovery as being the premier U.S. cycling team, took the team title, and Slipstream's Steven Cozza was the best young rider.

BTW, these aren't my final thoughts about the 2007 Tour of Missouri. I plan to post those Tuesday along with a couple of photos from Sunday's Stage.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 6:39 PM

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Tour of Missouri Live TV coverage

Watch avflive live video and chat on Justin.tv
Updated Sept. 16: Today is the sixth and final stage of the 2007 Tour of Missouri. If you can't be in St. Louis today. you still can watch it here. Barring a major crash, you'll likely see George Hincapie close out his tenure with the Discovery Channel with the overall title. I think it's most fitting, giving all the loyal service he's given to Discovery Channel/U.S. Postal Service, that he wins the Tour of Missouri.

If for some reason you can't get the video to work above or you want to join the chat about the stage, you can go to this link:

http://www.justin.tv/avflive

You also can find the video, along with other race information, here:

http://www.avftracker.com/tom/TourTracker.html

Today's Stage 6 will start at 1 p.m. CDT at St. Louis Union Station. WCSM.com's coverage of the race begins at 2:30 p.m. CDT if you want to watch it there today. WCSM.com is free, but you'll have to register before you can see the video.

I want to thank all of you for visiting this blog this week. I will post some closing thoughts about the event either tonight or Monday morning.

Labels: television, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:30 AM

Stage 6: Meet Me in St. Louis!

For those of you who are coming in from out of town to watch the final stage of the Tour of Missouri, I welcome you to St. Louis. I've been lucky to live for all but two years of my life within 50 miles of the Gateway Arch, and I think St. Louis is a great community.

Although St. Louis has taken its share of punches over the past four decades with population losses and crime, St. Louis still has a lot of things going for it. In addition to the Gateway Arch, one of the world's most distinctive monuments, we also are home to a world-class symphony, a world-class zoo, a world-class botanical garden and the reigning World Series champions.

St. Louis loves its sports, as you will see with the crowds that will fill the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday for the St. Louis Rams-San Francisco 49ers football game and Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs game, the best baseball rivalry in the National League. I remain confident that the Tour of Missouri will draw tens of thousands of spectators as well.

Because of that, I once again urge you -- no matter which event you go see -- to give yourself plenty of time to get there and to take your time going home. The streets will be clogged with sports fans, as will be MetroLink, the St. Louis region's light-rail system. A bicycle just might be the best way to get around the city Sunday. To that end, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will be offering a bicycle parking service near Union Station, the start and finish line of Stage 6.

And Union Station is where we start our tour of the 10.6-mile circuit that Tour of Missouri cyclists will be circling seven times Sunday afternoon. In the middle of the 20th century, Union Station was the second-busiest railroad station in the nation, surpassed only by Chicago's Union Station. Today, it's a center for shopping and dining, but the station still adds a distinctive touch to the the city's skyline.

The course begins with a short downhill, the makes a long, gradual climb up Market Street to the A.G. Edwards headquarters at Market and Jefferson streets. The route passes Harris-Stowe State College and Saint Louis University's new basketball arena before reaching the trickiest part of the course.

After being on nice, wide Market Street, the peloton will have to squeeze into a single lane on the ramp from Market Street to Forest Park Boulevard. Making things a little more difficult is that there are grates on the left and right sides of the ramp that can easily gobble a road tire. I would think there would be barricades around those grates to ensure the riders' safety, but it's still going to be a tight squeeze on the ramp.

The course opens up again on the right lanes of tree-lined Forest Park Boulevard, which serves as home to businesses, apartments and single-family homes. The first of 10 designated Fan Zones is at the West End Lofts in the 4100 block of Forest Park Boulevard. The route continues on Forest Park Boulevard past Barnes-Jewish Hospital, underneath Kingshighway and into Forest Park itself. I wouldn't recommend trying to watch the race between Kingshighway and DeBalievere Avenue because access to that part of the route is limited.

Two Fan Zones are slated for DeBalievere Avenue north of Forest Park, one at Crossroads School (500 DeBalievere Ave.) and the other at the corner of DeBalievere and Delmar avenues.

At first glance, the Delmar Avenue stretch of the course doesn't seem all that impressive. It has a look of a neighborhood that has seen better days, but if you look closer, you will see signs that Delmar Avenue is coming back to life. The neighborhood is trying to build on the success of the University City Loop district, which is west of the Tour of Missouri route on Delmar.

The route continues on Delmar and across Kingshighway, then turns right onto Euclid Avenue and into one of St. Louis' most distinctive business and residential areas, the Central West End. The CWE is home to several sidewalk cafes and coffee shops, and no doubt will be extremely busy Sunday. Duff's, at 392 N. Euclid, and Cafe Balaban, 405 N. Euclid, have a reputation for having some of the city's best Sunday brunches. A bit further down the street is Coffee Cartel, rated by many as St. Louis' best coffee shop. There are several other choices, so I'm sure you can find something that will keep you nourished as you watch the race fly past you.

The route then turns left on Lindell Boulevard and passes some of the most distinctive architecture of the city. One building that stands out from the rest is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, more commonly known by locals as the New Cathedral. (The Old Cathedral, formally known as the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, still stands near the Gateway Arch.) As amazing as the exterior of the building is, the interior is even more amazing with its mosaic walls and ceilings.

The route continues on Lindell past Saint Louis University and the New Masonic Temple and merges with Olive Street east of Grand Boulevard. Olive Street is another street that had been in decline but is trying to stage a comeback. On 21st Street, just north of Olive, is the Schlafly Brewery and Tap Room, home to some of the city's best microbrew beer. If you look hard enough, you will find some bits of interesting architecture along Olive.

The route turns right on 15th Street past a couple of Fan Zones, then turns right on Market for toward the start-finish line.

Compared with what the cyclists encountered on Stages 4 and 5, the hills on this circuit will be a piece of cake. The hills on Market, Lindell and Olive are long, gradual grades.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour of Stage 6, and see you Sunday!

Roger 0 comments 1:12 AM

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Stage 5: How about some wine?

Part of the rationale for the state of Missouri to pour $1 million into the Tour of Missouri is to boost tourism in the state, so it makes sense that Saturday's Stage 5, which starts in Jefferson City and ends in St. Charles, goes through the heart of Missouri's wine country. I'm posting this now so you have a few hours to make your last-minute plans.

While there's pretty scenery in the early part of the stage, the real action for the racers and tourists begins in Hermann.

After crossing the old, rickety Highway 19 bridge into Hermann -- a bridge that isn't too safe for cyclists any other day of the year because of its narrow lanes -- the riders will sprint for points past the Stone Hill Winery, one of the best-known Missouri wineries. Missouri is known for its dry, red Norton wines, its German-style white wines and its Port wines, and Stone Hill is no exception.

It's not surprising that the Hermann wineries have a wide range of events tied to the Tour of Missouri. On Friday night, the 2-mile King of the Mountain Time Trial climbs some of the town's biggest hills. On Saturday, the Hermann Wine Trail puts on the Seven Hills of Hermann Bike Ride, which routes people on part of the Tour of Missouri before turning on Highway H and taking on the Seven Hills of Hermann. The climb out of Hermann is particularly nasty, and I'm a bit surprised the Tour of Missouri didn't use Highway H as part of its route. There also will be a kids' bike race in Hermann from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The Tour of Missouri is expected to pass through Hermann after 1 p.m. After that, they'll turn east on Highway 100, where they will pass several more wineries. The first of the day's King of the Mountain points will be awarded about two miles east of Hermann on Highway 100. Here's the elevation for that first KOM stop:


The route crosses the Route 47 bridge at Washington, and the cyclists will turn east on Highway 94 and pass the Blumenhof Winery. They'll turn right on Emke Road, then turn left on Augusta Bottom Road. The second set of KOM points will be awarded near the Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta. Below is the profile for the second KOM:



Not surprisingly, there are events planned in Augusta as well. The Augusta Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a timed 23-mile VIP ride, which includes 11 miles of the the Tour of Missouri. The $100 entry fee includes ride, gourmet lunch at Mount Pleasant and parking pass. The winery also is offering a range of packages that range from reserved parking to reserved viewing space in a VIP area.

The route traverses through Augusta back to Highway 94. After about a mile on that highway, the route turns onto Schluersburg Road. That's when the racers will face their stiffest challenge of the day, the climb up the Schluersburg Road hill for the third and final KOM points on the day. Here's what the riders will be facing on that 0.9-mile climb with about 350 feet of vertical gain:


If you want to see a bit of suffering, Schluersburg Road is your place.

The route ends in St. Charles, Missouri's first state capital, near the city's historic district. There are plenty of shops in the historic district, not to mention the Ameristar Casino to the south of the finish.

Trailnet's Bicycle Fun Club will have a Tour of Missouri Fun Ride that starts at the casino between 9 and 10 a.m. Riders will travel the Katy Trail to a vantage point where they want to see the race. They can go as far as Augusta, which is a 64-mile round trip from St. Charles.

The state of Missouri is hoping you'll come visit -- and spend some money!

(Coming Friday: A preview of the Stage 6 route in St. Louis.)

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 10:25 PM

Stage 3 guest commentary

Since I haven't been able to attend any of the early stages of the Tour of Missouri because of various commitments, I'm offering guest commentary tonight from Jerry Whittle.

Jerry is a ride leader for the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society and a regular on the Gateway Council of Hostelling International's 5-Star Century circuit. One of his daughters, Laura, is a member of Midwestern State University's cycling team, so I think Jerry's more than qualified to offer commentary about his Tour of Missouri experience:

We were in Springfield to watch the end of Stage 2 yesterday. (George) Hincapie sure put on a show. The breakaway put in a lot of time on the rest of the peloton. Almost certainly one of the breakaway group will win this tour.

Today was the Individual Time Trial in Branson. Branson is a great place for a race. Lots of hotel rooms and things to do after the race. The roads are HILLY. The ITT was more like a hill climb than TT.

Unfortunately, the finish line was blocked by the time we got there due to a lack of parking. The crowds were even larger than they expected. We were there a half hour before the first rider was due in. I’m sure that they will learn from this if they go through Branson again.

Therefore, Patti (Jerry's wife) and I found a nice place towards the top of a long, steep hill at mile 12. We were just inches from the riders! There were about 100 other spectators on the hill and this was at mile 12!

Just as we got there, Tour de France winner Alberto Contador flew by. A while later Levi Leipheimer blasted up the hill. He looked great and was as he won the stage. Last came George in the yellow jersey and he looked very focused. I don’t think that he even heard my cowbell ringing. George finished a couple of minutes behind Levi, but ahead of the others in the previous day’s breakaway. Therefore he’s even more likely to win the whole thing.

Between my yelling and ringing a cowbell and his being really close and fast while passing by, I managed to ruin the chance for a perfect photo by cutting off half of George’s head. Now I know why I’m not a professional photographer.

The weather has been perfect. Low 80s, little wind, and dry. Branson might not be Paris, but it made for a great bike race venue.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 10:06 PM

Thoughts about Stage 3

There were no really big surprises today during the Stage 3 time trial of the Tour of Missouri:

• Levi Leipheimer won the time trial by 16 seconds over Australia's Nathan O'Neill. Leipheimer, who finished third in this year's Tour de France, finished the time trial in 39 minutes, 37.48 seconds.
• George Hincapie finished the time trial in 41:44.07, solidifying his hold on the yellow jersey. Hincapie now leads fellow American William Frischkorn by 1:40. Barring a disaster, I see Hincapie wearing the yellow jersey on the podium in St. Louis.
• Initial reports indicate more good crowds at the start and finish of the time trial.
• Tour of Missouri cyclists and cycling writers are finding out what those of us who have ridden Missouri roads already know: The Show-Me State has hills. Cyclingnews.com describes tomorrow's stage this way: "One of the hardest stages looms tomorrow -- a 214 km leg with more of the same relentless rolling Missouri hills, two intermediate sprints and a (King of the Mountain) climb before finishing in the university town of Columbia."
• And Leipheimer has this to say in VeloNews about the Stage 3 course: "It was definitely a hard course. ... I don't know if you can call them climbs, compared to something like the Tour de Georgia where there was a steep wall. But they were definitely bigger than rollers."
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's 10-Speed Blog kicked into a higher gear Thursday with good posts about Dan Schmatz's crash with the armadillo, the podium girls and the Missouri Department of Transportation trucks that kept the cyclists safe on U.S. 65 in Branson.
  

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 7:04 PM

Thoughts about Stage 2

While you're waiting for today's Tour of Missouri Stage 3 time trial to begin, here's some random thoughts about Stage 2:

• The experts are pretty much saying that the overall winner will be one of the 12 riders who participated in the breakaway. If George Hincapie can maintain the overall lead after today's time trial, he will be the prohibitive favorite to be wearing the yellow jersey in St. Louis. You know there's no way Discovery Channel will allow another breakaway to take hold, unless Hincapie is a part of it. The bulk of the riders are at least 14:20 behind Hincapie. While some riders might be able to cut into that gap today, I don't see any way they can eliminate that gap by the time they reach the finish line in St. Louis.
• The (Springfield, Mo.) News-Leader reported that Springfield local organizing committee co-chair Rusty Worley estimated turnout in Springfield at between 5,000 and 10,000. At places farther north along the race's 120-mile route, fewer fans gathered but they seemed just as supportive.
• The same article also reported numerous traffic jams along the route. Motorists found traffic snarls in Springfield longer than those north of the city as drivers who gave up on main arteries bailed onto smaller streets, causing backups on them as well. As I've mentioned before, the Tour of Missouri, the Rams-49ers game at the Edward Jones Dome and the Cardinals-Cubs game at Busch Stadium -- along with the St. Louis Blues' first exhibition game against the Atlanta Thrashers at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Scottrade Center -- will put tens of thousands of sports fans in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon. No matter which event you attend, give yourself plenty of time to get there and to get home.
  
• I generally give Missouri's three biggest newspapers -- the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Kansas City Star and the News-Leader -- good marks for their coverage of the event. The only other thing I'd like to see from the Post-Dispatch is more frequent updates over the course of the race. I also was disappointed the Post-Dispatch didn't have a separate story about St. Louis-area native Dan Schmatz's crash with the armadillo, although it did mention the accident at the end of its main race story.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 9:26 AM

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Yes, there are armadillos in Missouri

St. Louis-area native Dan Schmatz's bid to make a good showing at the Tour of Missouri came to an abrupt end today when he struck an armadillo three miles into Stage 2 between Clinton and Springfield.

In addition to Schmatz, VeloNews reports Slipstream’s Will Frischkorn and Danny Pate, Canadian Svein Tuft, Kodak’s Jesse Anthony and Schmatz’s BMC teammate Jonathan Garcia were involved in the crash. Only Schmatz has abandoned the race at this point.

You can read The Associated Press' take on the accident at SI.com.

A.J. Hendershott of the Missouri Department of Conservation told the Southeast Missourian that armadillos now populate every county in Missouri south of the Missouri River.

What a bad way to go. Schmatz really did a lot to promote the race in recent weeks and looked forward to racing in his hometown.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 2:27 PM

Thoughts about Stage 1

As Stage 2 of the Tour of Missouri begins, here's some random thoughts about State 1 of the race:

• It wasn't surprising that there was a mass sprint finish, which was won by Cuban Ivan Dominguez. The big boys of Discovery Channel -- Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie -- were safely nestled in the peloton and were awarded the same time as the winner.
• The Missouri Highway Patrol estimated the crowd for Stage 1 as 40,000. It's not as many as the Kansas City Chiefs would draw on a fall afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, but it's considerably more than the Kansas City Royals normally draw for one of their home games at Kauffman Stadium. “It’s a heck of a start for us,” Rick Hughes, president of the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association, told the Kansas City Star. “Just getting started, this year the impact is probably a couple of million dollars. But in the Tour de Georgia, in the fourth year they estimated $300 million across the state. ”
• I'm still not sure how well rural Missouri will support the race. I think they'll be good crowds at the end of the stage in Springfield and at tomorrow's time trial in Branson. Missouri is called the Show-Me State for a reason, and Tour of Missouri organizers have a big selling job to do outside the state's urban areas.

In addition to this blog and the links on the right side of this page, there's lots of other great resources for following the race. Here's a few of them, some of which I've mentioned before, but some are new:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• Kansas City Star
• (Springfield, Mo.) News-Leader
• Tour of Missouri racer Dan Schmatz's blog. Schmatz is a native of the St. Louis area.
• Missouri Bicycle Federation. MoBikeFed also has wallpaper available for your computer here.
  
• Spare Cycles

Have fun and enjoy the Tour of Missouri

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 1 comments 10:53 AM

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Tour of Missouri: A modest preview

In a matter of hours, the Tour of Missouri begins in Kansas City.

Most of you already know the significance of the race: It's the final American race for the Discovery Channel team. Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, third-place finisher Levi Leipheimer and long-time Lance Armstrong lieutenant George Hincapie will be joined by some of the top U.S. and European teams on the rolling hills of Missouri.

It's also the most important bicycle race ever held in the Show-Me State, and the state of Missouri is banking a lot of money -- $1 million to be exact -- that the race will bring lots of tourism dollars into the state. Hopefully, the race also will encourage more people to go out and bike.

Not all the world's top cyclists will be in Missouri. Many of them, including Denis Menchov, Cadel Evans and Carlos Sastre, are racing in the Vuelta a España. Still, the race will give great exposure to lesser-known, yet talented, racers.

Generally speaking, the Tour of Missouri has received lots of positive coverage from the state's newspapers. It will be interesting to see if that coverage brings out casual fans and introduce new people to the sport.

A Google blog search for the Tour of Missouri generally shows positive commentary about the event. One exception is the progressive blog Fired Up, which takes a dim view of the state spending $1 million in taxpayers' money on the race. Here's an example of what Fired Up has to say:

The massive infusion of taxpayer money to support (Gov.) Matt Blunt and (Lt. Gov.) Peter Kinder's bike race is being laundered through a closely controlled private organization--- the Hawthorn Foundation.

Once used to fund gubernatorial trade missions with exporter contributions, the Hawthorn Foundation is now receiving massive amounts of taxpayer funding from Blunt and Kinder.

Their likely purpose: to try to conceal from the prying eyes of the press the spending details and race documents (including doping test results) -- even though two high-level public officials, Blunt and Kinder, are overseeing the entire effort. Down to the last drop.

I don't know enough about Missouri politics to say whether the issue is legitimate, but the group's obsession with doping and its pandering to the fears about traffic tie-ups in St. Louis on Sunday tells me there's more rhetoric than reality to Fired Up's claims.

There is no doubt there will be lots of sports traffic in downtown St. Louis on Sunday. In addition to the Tour of Missouri, the St. Louis Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers at the Edward Jones Dome (noon start), while the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium (1:15 p.m. start). The sixth stage of the Tour of Missouri starts at 1 p.m. at Union Station and is expected to end sometime between 3:30 and 4 p.m.

City streets and the region's MetroLink light-rail trains will see lots of users, so give yourself plenty to time to get to where you're going and plenty of time to go home.

Several other events are being planned around Tour of Missouri.

Trailnet, which organizes many of the St. Louis region's largest group ride, will have a Tour of Missouri Fun Ride on Saturday in St. Charles, the St. Louis suburb that hosts the finish line for Stage 5. Cyclists will be able to ride the Katy Trail to vantage points to see the race.

There also will be plenty of activity in Hermann, the capital of Missouri's wine country. The Hermann Wine Trail will sponsor The Seven Hills of Hermann Ride at 8 a.m. Saturday. Tour of Missouri is expected to pass through Hermann about 1 p.m. On Friday night, Hermann plays host to a 2-mie time trial that features 400 feet of vertical climbing.

To see the events planned for the other cities on the Tour of Missouri route, visit the ride's calendar page.

Because of jury duty and other work obligations, I probably will be able to see only one stage of the race, the St. Louis stage. I will try to offer commentary and other insights about the Tour as it progresses, plus I will be adding Tour of Missouri news to the Bicycle racing feeds listed in the right column of this blog.

Versus will air highlights of the Tour of Missouri on Sept. 22.

Here's hoping the Tour of Missouri will enhance the Midwest cycling scene and bring positive attention to the state of Missouri.

Labels: cycling, racing, St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 12:18 PM

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Post-Dispatch Tour of Missouri preview

Today's edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an eight-page special section about the Tour of Missouri.

As an employee of the Belleville News-Democrat, it's not every day that I recommend that you buy a competing newspaper, but you really should if you're a cycling fan.

You can get most of the information in the special section online, but the print edition of the guide is well-designed and packed with lots of good information, maps and photos. It'll be handy to have around as you follow the race.

Other Missouri newspapers also had stories about the Tour of Missouri today. These included

• (Springfield) News-Leader
• (Jefferson City) News-Tribune
• Kansas City Star
  

Labels: Missouri, newspapers, St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 10:41 AM

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Tour de Coal coming up soon

Once again this year, I'm honored to be a part of planning the Coal Country Chamber of Commerce's Tour de Coal bicycle ride.

This year's second annual Tour de Coal will be Saturday, Sept. 22, at Benld Elementary School in Benld, Ill. For those of you who don't know where Benld is, it's about halfway between St. Louis and Springfield, Ill., not far from Staunton, the home of the original Tour de Donut.

Once again, the ride will feature three routes, a 15-mile family ride, a 30-mile mid-range ride and a 63-mile metric century. Most of the route will be on flat-to-rolling rural roads surrounding Benld and nearby Gillespie, and the metric century will use a portion of an old Route 66 alignment between Staunton and Mount Olive.

Day-of-ride registration will be from 7 to 9 a.m. at the school, but you can save money by pre-registering for Tour de Coal. You can either register through Active.com or fill out a form at the Web site, print it and send it to the address listed at the bottom of the form. Forms also are available at many St. Louis-area and Springfield-area bicycle shops.

Registration is $20 per person and $50 per household of three or more on the day of the ride, but it's only $15 per person and $40 per household if you sign up in advance.

Proceeds for the ride will be used by the Coal Country Chamber of Commerce to help improve Gillespie, Benld and other neighboring communities.

I get a lot of satisfaction out of organizing the Tour de Coal, but it's different from the satisfaction I get from leading Tour de Stooges. The big reason why I enjoy organizing Tour de Coal so much is because it's allowed me to reconnect with my native county and learn things about it.

I grew up in Brighton, which is in the southwestern corner of the county, but Brighton normally doesn't have a lot of connection with the rest of Macoupin County because the village is so close to the Alton-Wood River area. Brighton also doesn't share the coal mining heritage that much of the rest of Macoupin County has.

I've learned a lot about the rich ethnic heritage of the Benld-Gillespie area, and the big reason for that were the coal mines that once operated in the area. There are at least 20 coal mines near the Tour de Coal course, but only one of them is operational today.

Benld is best known for the Coliseum Ballroom, which hosted acts such as Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington in its heyday. Benld is also home to The Holy Dormition of the Theotokos Russian Orthodox Church, the only church in Illinois under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia. Tours of the church will be available during the Tour de Coal.

Being involved in the Tour de Coal also has allowed me to become active with the ITS Trail, a bicycle trail under development between Staunton and Benld. A long-term goal of bicycle trail advocates in the region is to develop a network of trails that would link St. Louis and Springfield.

We hope to see you in Benld on Sept. 22!

Labels: cycling, Illinois, Tour de Coal, tours

Roger 0 comments 10:38 AM

Chiefgetwell.com

Friends and family of Gerry "Chief" Frierdich, the Belleville photographer critically injured Aug. 19 when he was struck while riding his bicycle on South Green Mount Road in Belleville, have created a Web site, Chiefgetwell.com, where people can get updates about Gerry.

Gerry did indeed have surgery on Friday, Aug. 31. Unfortunately, the surgery uncovered some things that an earlier MRI had not. Here's an excerpt from the Web site:

Most disturbing is that there is a severed nerve in the spinal cord, and sadly there is little that can be done for something like that. The doctor is still unable to predict what the final outcome of Chief's injuries will be once all is said and done.

Gerry is still unable to breathe on his own. He's on a ventilator, and doctors hope to perform a tracheotomy Thursday and attempt to take him off that instead, the Web site reported.

Chiefgetwell.com has a link where people can e-mail their get-well message. Friends and family also are planning to put a message board on the site, but that wasn't up and running as of this morning.

Please keep Gerry in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through a very difficult recovery.

Labels: accidents, Belleville, cycling

Roger 0 comments 9:58 AM