Monday, December 31, 2007

Gimme 3 feet, gimme 3 feet mister

With apologies to Lynard Skynyrd and the band's classic rock song "Gimme Three Steps," here's a reminder for all motorists in Illinois:

Won't you give me three feet,
gimme three feet mister,
gimme three feet from my bike!
Gimme three feet,
gimme three feet mister,
and you'll safely pass me by!

The new Illinois law that requires motorists to give at least three feet of clearance when they pass a cyclist goes in effect New Year's Day. Motorists must maintain that clearance until they safely pass the bicycle.

The new law also allows cyclists to extend their right arms to signal a right turn and allows cyclists to "take the lane" where right turns are authorized.

In addition, it also requires bicyclists -- in most cases -- to ride as far to the right as practicable and safe. The law previously only said as far to the right as practicable. The League of Illinois Bicyclists contended that the law as previously written was misinterpreted as being as far to the right as possible; it says the new phrasing re-enforces exceptions while providing some flexibility.

The image above clicks to a larger version of LIB's explanation of the law. You also may download a PDF version of the explanation at LIB's Web site.

Also starting New Year's Day, all Illinois residents -- including cyclists -- will be able to breathe a little easier. The Smoke-Free Illinois Act goes in effect tomorrow, meaning smoking will be banned in nearly all Illinois restaurants, bars, workplaces and public buildings. Smoking also is banned within 15 feet of a public business entrance, open windows and ventilation intakes.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Illinois, safety

Roger 3 comments 10:33 AM

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas to all!

I always look forward to the Christmas Eve drive from my home in Belleville, Ill., to my mom's farm near Brighton.

Of course, there's the anticipation of celebrating Christmas with my family. Tomorrow morning, I will go to Christmas Mass with my mom at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Brighton. After that, we'll make a brief visit to the gravesites of my dad, Henry "Gene" Kramer, and my brother, Wes Kramer. The family gathers at my mom's house to open presents, then we move on to the home of my younger sister, Karen, down in Godfrey for Christmas dinner.

But there is something special about that drive. Christmas Eve is a silent night, a holy night. The drive up Interstate 255 is much more peaceful than it is every other day of the year. It's a reminder that Christ Child continues to change people's lives.

So this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I hope you, too, will be able to take some moments for silence and peace to reflect upon what you can do to make the world a better place.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Labels: Catholic, Christmas

Roger 1 comments 10:40 AM

Sunday, December 23, 2007

New mecca of cycling?

I had hoped to make it out to one of the sessions of the World Class Cycling Summit held Tuesday and Saturday in Wentzville, Mo., but work and Christmas obligations got in the way.

Fortunately for us, the Suburban Journals made it out to Tuesday's session at the Holiday Inn in Wentzville.

There, conversations revolved around one central theme, the Suburban Journals reported: How to make the St. Louis region a mecca for the sport of cycling. "It has gone from bottom to top; we've got more support than we've ever seen, and right now is really the time to capitalize on it," said Brent Hugh of the Missouri Bicycle Federation.

Wentzville Mayor Paul Lambi hopes to build an indoor velodrome in his community, located in western St. Charles County. The Suburban Journals reported that Lambi announced he is working to acquire for the city land for park ground. Although in the preliminary stages, the property could house a velodrome along with soccer fields, baseball diamonds and trails. Other options would be asking voters to approve a general obligation bond or seeking local sponsorship.

The panelists who spoke discussed other general goals, including obtaining state money for bicycle routes and cyclist education. To see the full list, go to the story.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Missouri, St. Louis, velodrome

Roger 0 comments 12:25 AM

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Highway 40 and bicycles

Come Jan. 2, there will be plenty of fear and loathing in the St. Louis metropolitan area. That's the day when Highway 40 -- that's what the locals call Interstate 64-U.S. 40 -- closes for a major construction project. The highway will not be completely open again until Dec. 31, 2009.

Since Highway 40 is a major traffic artery for the St. Louis region, there is much concern about how people are going to get around. Traffic experts hope that people will turn to Metro, the St. Louis area's mass transit system, hope that employers offer work-at-home or flexible schedules or use alternative means of transportation, including the bicycle.

But they also suspect most people will simply find different routes to drive their cars. Highway officials already have or are making plans to create more lanes for vehicles.

And that's what concerns many members of the cycling community. An article in this week's Suburban Journals addresses that issue. One cyclist who regularly commutes in St. Louis County already reports more difficulties in riding his bike on Clayton Road, one of the roads that will be carrying part of the load from Highway 40.

Stephanie Leon Streeter, manager of the highway planning division of the St. Louis County Highways and Traffic Department, said roads the are being remarked to add lanes will remain available to bicyclists because they have a legal right to be on road because of state statutes.

"These roads are certainly open to bicyclists, but this does not mean these routes are ideal, especially with the amount of traffic, which will be historic, when Highway 40 closes," Streeter told the Suburban Journals.

Trailnet is working with St. Louis County officials to develop alternative bicycle routes between Spoede Road and Forest Park in St. Louis that are safer than the roads that are being remarked.

The increase of motorists on roads that are now popular with cyclists, and the possibility there will be more people riding their bikes as a means of transportation, raises concerns about conflicts between motorists and cyclists.

A recent letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Along for the Ride column shows the conflict. One writer, Jerry F., wrote this:

Conway Road seems to have become the exclusive path of bicyclists on weekends and many late afternoons. Many times they refuse to move to the right of a very narrow two-lane road so cars can get by. When Highway 40 shuts down, putting more automobiles on Conway, I am quite concerned about the safety of both bicyclists and drivers. Is there anything that can be done to restrict the bicycles to certain times on Conway, or restrict bicyclists to parts of Conway that might be a little wider?

It's clear from this letter that motorists need to learn to know that Missouri allows bicycles on most roads in the state. The Missouri Bicycle Federation has plenty of resources that explains state bicycle laws and how they pertain to cyclists and motorists alike.

A recent case in Webster Groves, Mo., has raised some doubts whether law enforcement officials in St. Louis County are aware of the laws. The case was bantered over in the STLBiking.com forum, and the Suburban Journals took a look at it:

Rachel Abbott of Glendale had an experience all her own that she thinks went against state statutes that allow her to be on the road with motorists.

She said that on Dec. 3 she was cycling home from work on Kirkham Road, just East of Elm Avenue in Webster Groves.

"At 5:40 p.m. a police officer turned on his lights and pulled me over," Abbott said. "When I questioned about my offense, he said I can't be riding on the street 10 miles per hour impeding traffic, and that I had to ride on the sidewalk. This was confusing to me because I was riding all the way to the right, and there are two lanes of traffic flowing in each direction."

She told the officer her understanding of what he was saying was that she could not ride on the road.

Abbott told the officer she had been commuting for years and had never been informed of this law.

"When I questioned him, he threatened me with a ticket. He asked for my identification and in a controlling manner said, 'Now, are you going to ride on the sidewalk?'"

She just shook her head yes and got out of there, she said.

Abbott did not obtain the name of the officer.

Webster Groves Police Chief Dale Curtis said Abbott's complaint is legitimate if the officer suggested that she ride her bicycle on the sidewalk.

"Telling someone to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk is not correct," he said.

Curtis said the police officer does have the right to instruct bicyclists to get off the road if they are impeding traffic.

He said after hearing about this incident, the supervisory staff is reviewing the state statutes on bicycle use with officers during briefing sessions.

My take on that and other similar situations is that the police officers in question may simply be ignorant of traffic laws and how they apply to cyclists. I'm sure there are a few officers who don't like bicyclists and would rather see us stay off the road, but I'm inclined to cut the vast majority of officers slack. They have an awful lot they have to remember, and cycling traffic laws likely are a low priority for them.

Patty Vinyard, the acting executive director of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, agrees.

"Individual police officers, like the public at large, may or may not be fully aware of the law as it pertains to bicycling on the roadways," she said in a recent e-mail statement to me. "Training materials and courses for law enforcement are available from NHTSA and other sources, and we would be happy to assist local police departments in making bike safety training available to their officers."

She pointed out resources for police officers that are available through the League of Illinois Bicyclists. I wrote about those recently. While they are written especially for Illinois law enforcement officials, there are enough similarities between Illinois and Missouri law that the principles could benefit officers in Missouri.

Patty and I are in full agreement that more, and more effective, bike education is needed for bicyclists, motorists and police.

I also would add in closing that is if we cyclists expect motorists and police officers to accept that we have a right to the road, we in turn must be responsible cyclists and follow the law as well.

Labels: advocacy, commuting, cycling, safety, St. Louis

Roger 3 comments 12:09 AM

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Think winter

Warren T., who added a couple of comments to my post Thursday about the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City, Kan., pointed out a site with a lot of great shots over the four days of the event. I invite you to visit the Flickr site and take a look.

I didn't get a chance to freeze my buns off in Kansas City, but the mud, snow and ice had to have made things interesting. You can also look at the VeloNews articles in the right column to see some nice shots.

While I'm on the subject of winter cycling, Patty Vinyard of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation passed along a link to Chicago Bike Winter. The site tells you that with the proper gear and a little determination, you can be a winter cyclist. It even gives you a few tips.

The site has a schedule of events for Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Wis., Ann Arbor, Mich., and -- if you look hard enough -- St. Louis. So, if you want to want to add your event, be my guest. Just don't expect to see me out there. (I'd like to be, but cold air brings out the residual effects of my childhood asthma. That's why I'm a hiker instead of a cyclist during the winter.)

Labels: cycling, cyclocross, winter

Roger 2 comments 11:34 PM

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Where's the news?

UPDATED: Unfortunately, the news and blog feeds that normally appear on the right side of the page hadn't been working properly the last couple of days. Fortunately, the problem is fixed!

The company that hosts my Web site changed its PHP settings, meaning the feeds weren't showing up as they should be. Feed Digest, which generates the codes for the feeds, just happened to have a PHP script that works, so the feeds are working again.

If you have any ideas for feeds you'd like me to add, let me know.

Labels: Web site

Roger 0 comments 3:05 AM

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Tour of America

Plans are still being made for the Tour of America in 2008, albeit much shorter and less ambitious than originally planned.

The race is slated to begin Sept. 6 in New York City and end Sept. 28 in Palo Alto, Calif. In between, there are two stages still slated for the St. Louis area, a 143-mile stage from Casey, Ill., to St. Louis on Sept. 13 and a 134-mile stage from St. Louis to Columbia, Mo., on Sept. 14. The 15th would be a "rest day" in which the cyclists and their crews would fly to Denver and resume the race there on the 16th.

The original plan for the race called for a 250-mile stage from Indianapolis to St. Louis on Sept. 12, a 130-mile stage from St. Louis to Carbondale, Ill., on Sept. 13, and a 205-mile stage from Carbondale to Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 14.

There remains several obstacles to this event:

• The event still is not on the Union Cycliste Internationale schedule for 2008, meaning few major cyclists would show up.
• The event would conflict with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of Missouri, among other races. The Tour of the Missouri, by the way, is on the UCI schedule for Sept. 8-14.
• Would Missouri have sufficient law-enforcement resources available to escort Tour of Missouri and Tour of America on Sept. 13-14? My hunch would be that the Missouri Highway Patrol would make Tour of Missouri a much higher priority.
• And what about the transition from low altitude to high altitude? Columbia is about 760 feet above sea level. Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level. I know we're talking about high-level athletes, but you still have to wonder about such a drastic change in elevation.

In short, I remain rather skeptical whether the Tour of America actually will happen.

Thanks to my new Facebook friend Fritz at the Cyclelicious blog and VeloNews for reporting the new developments. Yep, I'm on Facebook as well as MySpace and LinkedIn, and frankly, I think Facebook is a lot more fun!

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:59 PM

It's time to play in the mud

For those of you who like to play in the mud or watch others play in the mud, the USA Cycling 2007 Cyclocross National Championships started today in Kansas City, Kan.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept of cyclocross (PDF file), here's a brief description from the organizers of the Kansas City event:

Cyclocross is a cross between road racing and mountain biking. Competitors race laps around a course featuring a variety of surfaces (pavement, grass, sand, gravel, dirt, etc.) while negotiating a number of obstacles that may require them to dismount and remount their bicycle. Beginning in the fall and running through the winter months, cyclocross used to be mostly popular for off-season training, but has become a very popular sport in its own right.

The event takes place at Wyandotte County Park, at the intersection of State Avenue and North 126th Street in Kansas City, near the Kansas Speedway. Events began this morning and will continue throughout the weekend, culminating with the elite women's and men's races on Sunday.

Cyclists can expect sloppy conditions. In addition to the major ice storm that hit eastern Kansas and western Missouri earlier in the week, snow is in the forecast for Saturday.

In addition to the event's Web site, which includes a blog, the Kansas City Star has written an overview of the event and a feature about a Topeka, Kan., participant. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch also did an article that features St. Louis-area cyclocross racer Mike Heffernan and Russ Murphy.

Labels: cycling, cyclocross, Kansas, racing

Roger 3 comments 10:22 AM

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Swap Meet and Classic Bike Show

To divert our attention from the cold, damp and dreary weather outside, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation is announcing plans for its sixth annual Swap Meet and Classic Bike Show.

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Jan 27, at the Gateway Convention Center, 1 Gateway Drive in Collinsville, Ill.

Non-profits, individuals, and bike-related businesses are invited to reserve a 10’x10’ vendor space or larger prior to Jan. 16 to sell bike-related goods.

Prices for bicycle - related booths (Prior to Jan. 16):

• Bike Business member: $100 for one booth, $175 for two, $350 for 3 to 4 booths.
• Bike Business non-member: $125 for one booth, $225 for two, $400 for 3 to 4 booths.
• Non-Profits: $50 for one booth, $75 for two booths.
• Racing teams, riding clubs and collector clubs: $35 for one booth, $50 for two booths.
• Individual BikeFed member: $20 for one booth, $25 for two booths.
• Individual non-member: $25 for one booth, $35 for two booths.

A Classic Bike Show also will take place. Show your classic bicycle in one of these categories: Stingray Original, Stingray Restored, Balloon Tire, Middleweight, BMX, Special Interest and Best of Show. Entry for the Classic Bike Show is $5 per bike plus admission ($6 in advance/$7 day of). Prizes will be awarded. The public is invited to vote. For information on the Classic Bike Show, contact Dan Schmitz at 636-271-2600 or dan@stlmusclebikes.com.

For more information on the Bicycle Swap, contact (314) 707-5001 or swapmeet@stlbikefed.org, or go online to http://www.stlbikefed.org.

Labels: bicycles, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 0 comments 9:54 AM

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Finally, photos!

On a truly dreary day with the threat of freezing rain, I couldn't think of anything better to do than scan in my photos from the 2006 BubbaFest ride in the Florida Keys.

OK, I should have done this about a year ago. I could make excuses and say I didn't have time because of my real job at the Belleville News-Democrat, writing articles for this blog, working on the Tour de Stooges and other group rides in the St. Louis metropolitan area and -- heaven forbid -- riding my bike.

But the reality is that I wasted too much time surfing the Internet when I could have been scanning photos. I still shoot pictures with old-fashioned film, so I do have to allot some time for negative scanning.

I learned my lesson from my procrastination. Now, I get digital versions of my photos so I can more quickly get them on this Web site. That's why my photos from the 2007 West Shoreline Tour made it to the site before the BubbaFest photos did.

Someday, I'll buy a digital camera. Yes, I am aware the quality of digital cameras have increased while the prices have decreased.

But for now, I'm still happy with film.

If you're as tired of the cold, icy weather that has hit much of the country as I am, take a look at the BubbaFest photos and think warm thoughts!

Labels: cycling, photography, tours

Roger 0 comments 11:31 PM

Friday, December 07, 2007

Chicago's new city sticker

In 2008, Chicago's car owners will get a visual reminder to share the road with cyclists.

Patsy Diaz, a 17-year-old senior at Jones College Prep, won the city’s 2008-09 vehicle sticker art design contest, City Clerk Miguel del Valle announced Wednesday. Diaz’s design fusing the Chicago skyline with images of a car, a bicycle and the words “share the road,” received the most of the 21,238 votes cast online and at City Hall during the final week of November.

“I thought it would be a cool idea just to show the bicycle through the mirror, showing to the people how it makes them aware that bicycles are right there to share the road,” Diaz told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Her winning design will adorn nearly 1.3 million car windshields beginning in June.

More than 400 students from 60 Chicago high schools participated in the annual contest by submitting artwork that incorporated the theme "Share the Road" into their designs, according to a press release from the City Clerk's office. They were invited to submit artwork highlighting the City of Chicago's efforts to make Chicago's roads safe and friendly to all, including bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists. A panel of independent professionals, including artists, civic leaders, bicycle and transportation groups reviewed all entries and voted for the top ten.

You can see the second- and third-place finishers designs at the City Clerk's Web site.

Labels: advocacy, Chicago, cycling, Illinois

Roger 1 comments 12:19 PM

Thursday, December 06, 2007

World Class Cycling Summit

The Missouri Bicycle Federation and the Westplex Sports, Arts and Entertainment Local Organizing Committee will host a "World Class Cycling Summit on two dates -- both will have the same program, so you can plan to come to either of the two:

* Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., I-70 Holiday Inn in Wentzville, Missouri, 900 Corporate Pkwy, Wentzville, Mo.

* Saturday, Dec. 22, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m., Crossings at Wentzville, 100 Mall Parkway, Wentzville, Mo.

The groups are looking for the help of a select group of people to make the Westplex region of the St. Louis metropolitan area -- St. Charles, Warren, Franklin and Lincoln counties -- and the entire state of Missouri a world=class bicycling center.

You can reserve your spot at the summit by sending an e-mail to Ed Watkins of the Westplex group at edwatkins@charter.net

Why a "World Class Cycling Summit?" And why in the Westplex? The groups offer reasons listed here:

The success of the 2007 Tour of Missouri has brought unprecedented international attention to bicycling in Missouri.

The recent announcement of a 46-mile "Kansas City Connection" to the Katy Trail on the western end, and 11 additional miles between St. Charles and Machens on the eastern end, means that the nation's longest rail-trail will soon be even longer -- over 280 miles.

Our dream of making a trail connection between Missouri's two largest metropolitan areas is very close to reality. Imagine bicycling from the St. Louis Arch to Kansas City's Liberty Memorial on a network of trails stretching state line to state line!

These two events have put our state out on the world stage as a place where people want to live, work, visit--and bicycle.

Now what is it going to take to make Missouri into the bicycling Mecca that it really should be? ...

At the World Class Cycling Summit, we will talk about where we are, where we need to go, and what we need to do now to become a world-class bicycling center -- both as a region and as a state.

Representatives of MoBikeFed, Trailnet, and other bicycling and community organizations will be there to talk about the statewide, regional, and local perspectives.

Why in the Westplex?

When Stage 5 of the 2007 Tour of Missouri ended in St. Charles--to the biggest finish line crowd of the week -- several Westplex leaders saw the future of their region before their eyes.

The Tour of Missouri Local Organization Committee had already made the decision to become a permanent, standing committee dedicated to bringing events into the Westplex area -- events like marathons, runs, triathlons, and -- of course -- bicycle races.

Area leaders, organized by Ed Watkins, were able to raise $70,000 in just a few weeks to create the Westplex Sports, Arts and Entertainment L.O.C.

Ed has played a central role in creating support and raising funds for an amazing number of local, state, and national project such as: The St. Charles Family Arena, the TR Hughes Ballpark, the Robert F. Hyland Performance Arena, the St. Peters Rec-Plex and Olympic Swimming & Diving Center, the National Fantasy Baseball Camps for the Hearing Impaired, the Ozzie Smith Stadium, and many others.

The Westplex L.O.C. now wants to make the Westplex area a model "Bicycling Center."

The Bicycling Center will implement many of the best practices for creating bicycle-friendly communities, practices that have been tried and tested by communities across the U.S. and the world. To these proven best practices we will add opportunities unique to the Westplex area.

Here are just some of the possibilities we will explore:

• Bicycle-friendly cities where children and adults feel comfortable riding for health, recreation, or to visit friends, parks, schools, and shopping by bicycle.
• A regional trails network anchored by the statewide Katy Trail.
• Better promote the Katy Trail and the region as a tourist and recreation destination.
• A world-class velodrome.
• Regular bicycle rides, races, and events, both amateur and professional.
• Bring unique bicycle-related businesses to the Westplex.
• Creating a "culture of bicycling" what will set Westplex apart from almost everywhere else in the United States.

The groups have a rather ambitious goal. In the past, St. Charles County has developed a reputation of being somewhat unfriendly toward cyclists, who sometimes are told by motorists to "get on the trail," referring to the Katy Trail that runs through the county. I don't do enough riding in St. Charles County to know first-hand whether that reputation is deserved.

I do think the Tour of Missouri may have opened some eyes to the economic impact of cycling, and the success of the trail system in Madison County, Ill., can serve as a model for the Westplex to follow.

Labels: cycling, Missouri

Roger 0 comments 1:40 PM

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Happy Holidays from Specialized

For a second straight year, the folks at Specialized have posted their distinctive holiday card: a glockenspiel-free rendition of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from "The Nutcracker Suite" performed entirely with bicycle parts.

Flip Baber -- aka Johnny Random -- was commissioned to write the Christmas card piece in November 2006. According to a story at BikeBiz.com, the glockenspiel and clarinet melody was created with spokes. The cello and violin pizzicatos were created with plucked derailleur cables. The tingly triangle was a bash on to a disc brake. The percussion was a medley of shifting, coasting, finger over turning spokes, chain pulls, braking, clipping into pedals, back-spinning, and air pssssing out of tires.

The Flash version on the Specialized site is a sharper than the YouTube video shown here, plus you can send it to all your cycling friends!

Thanks to longtime friend and cyclist Doug Kaufman for passing this along to me.

Labels: bicycles, Christmas

Roger 2 comments 12:51 PM

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Gerry Frierdich shirts available at Touring Cyclist shop

The T-shirt that raising money for seriously injured Belleville, Ill., recumbent cyclist Gerry Frierdich is now available at the Fairview Heights Touring Cyclist shop at 101 Lanaghan Drive.

The shirt is being sold for $15 and is available in adult sizes S, M, L, XL and XL. For now, the shirt is only available at the Fairview Heights location of the St. Louis-based bicycle chain. Gerry was a frequent customer of the shop, and store manager Dawn Weber wants to do whatever she can to help Gerry. Dawn also is active in a committee of friends and family that is planning a benefit bicycle ride, which will be held either in May or June of 2008.

Here is a map showing the site of the Fairview Heights shop:

View Larger Map

Shirts also are available by contacting Sandy Gore, one of Gerry's friends. In addition to the adult sizes listed above, they are available in children's sizes S, M and L for $12. To place an order, contact Sandy at 4gores@charter.net or 618-277-5129. So that your order doesn’t get delayed, please specify the number of shirts and sizes. Payment will be due when your order is picked up. You can get more information about the shirt and Gerry at the Chief Get Well Web site.

Gerry was seriously injured Aug. 19 when his bicycle was struck by a pickup truck on South Green Mount Road in Belleville. He has paralysis from the chest down. He can move his forearms, but has no fine motor movement in his hands. Gerry is undergoing therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Labels: accidents, cycling, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments 10:05 AM