Thursday, January 31, 2008

Reward offered in hit-and-run accidents that injure cyclists

In response to hit-and-run accidents that injured cyclists in the St. Louis area, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation has set up a Hit and Run Justice Fund to offer rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of hit and run motorists who injure or kill a cyclist.

You either can make the donation online or you can send the donation to the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, Hit and Run Justice Fund, P.O. Box 23086, St. Louis, MO 63156.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Three bicyclists have been hit by motorists in two crashes since Saturday, and in both cases, motorists fled from the scene.

A pickup struck two bicyclists Saturday afternoon on Olive Street Road, near Eatherton Road, in Chesterfield, Mo., Chesterfield police say. The truck, towing a horse trailer, passed three bicyclists riding single file and the trailer clipped two of them, pushing them off their bicycles and into a ditch.

About 5:40 p.m. Monday, a driver in a dark SUV struck a St. Louis man riding his mountain bike at Cole Street and Broadway in downtown St. Louis. KMOV-TV, Channel 4, in St. Louis also had a segment about the downtown accident, and you can see raw video, photos and a brief story online at KMOV.com.

The St. Louis BikeFed's fund originally was prompted by the downtown St. Louis accident, but BikeFed has extended the fund to other accidents.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has upped the ante on the reward in the downtown accident. Saying that "hit and run is a cowardly action," Slay has added $500 to reward.

"This effort is completely grassroots," Russ Willis, chair of the Bike Fed's committee on policy and advocacy said in a press release. "We had hundreds of dollars in pledges even before we made the fund official. The ‘Hit and Run Justice Fund’ will continue even after this case. Especially now, with motorists being pushed off Highway 40/64 and onto surface roads, there is a heightened awareness among cyclists of the difficulties of sharing the roads with motorists."

Witnesses of the two accidents are urged to contact St. Louis or Chesterfield police.

Labels: accidents, advocacy, safety, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 1 comments 10:27 AM

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

2008 Tour of Missouri route announced

Organizers of the Tour of Missouri have announced the start/finish cities for the 2008 race. They are:

STAGE 1 / Monday, Sept. 8
St. Joseph to Kansas City, road race with circuits (90 mi / 144.81 km)

STAGE 2 / Tuesday, September 9
Clinton to Springfield, road race with circuits (125 mi / 201.13 km)

STAGE 3 / Wednesday, September 10
Branson, individual time trial (18 mi / 28.6 km)

STAGE 4 / Thursday, September 11
Lebanon to Rolla, road race with circuits (105 mi / 168.95 km)

STAGE 5 / Friday, September 12
St. James to Jefferson City, road race with circuits (100 mi / 160.9 km)

STAGE 6 / Saturday, September 13
Hermann to St. Charles, road race (110 mi / 177 km)

STAGE 7 / Sunday, September 14
St. Louis, circuit race (75 mi / 120.68 km)

The racers can expect more undulating rolling hills on this year's route. While there aren't any major climbs by professional cycling standards, the riders on the 2007 ride learned that Missouri isn't a flat state by any means.

It wasn't surprising to learn the Tour of Missouri is returning to St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Branson, since those were the cities than drew the biggest crowds last year. The addition of a stage allows the Tour to add a stage along old Route 66 between Lebanon and Rolla. The exact routes of the stages will be announced later.

"The Tour of Missouri is perfectly positioned between the Olympic Games in Bejing and the World Championships in late September," said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of the event organizers Medalist Sports, in a press release. "We can expect the field to include some of the top cyclists who have either competed in the Games or are preparing for the Worlds. This will be a good course for them."

The Tour of Missouri will field 120 of the world's top cyclists, many of whom raced in last year's inaugural race and were very happy with the terrain.

"Winning the Tour of Missouri was one of the highlights of my season. I received tremendous support from everyone and the fans along the route were awesome. The Tour of Missouri goes through some beautiful countryside, and I hope to return in September," George Hincapie, 2007 Tour of Missouri overall winner said in the press release.

Here are some links to some stories about the 2008 Tour of Missouri:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• Kansas City Star
• Springfield News-Leader

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 2:01 PM

Monday, January 28, 2008

Productive day at the Swap Meet

We made it into the 50s here in the St. Louis area on Sunday, but I didn't get a chance to get on my bike.

My first stop of the day was the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation Swap Meet. My primary purpose there was to deliver Tour de Stooges brochures, but it turned out more productive than that.

I've written frequently about the League of Illinois Bicyclists and the Missouri Bicycle Federation, but I had never met their respective executive directors, Ed Barsotti and Brent Hugh, until Sunday. Both groups had a successful 2007 as far as getting bicycle-friendly legislation passed, and they're hoping to build upon those successes this year.

A common theme was "Complete Streets" legislation, which requires state highway departments to consider bicycle and pedestrians ways when designing road projects. Illinois lawmakers passed "Complete Streets" legislation last year, despite an amendatory veto by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and Ed will be working to make sure state officials follow through. Meanwhile, Brent said the MoBikeFed will be working to get Missouri lawmakers to approve "Complete Streets" legislation.

But for the most part, our conversations were off-the-record, get-acquainted talks.

Meanwhile, Steve Sleet of St. Louis-based Trailnet said the group still is developing bicycle routes to serve as an alternate to Clayton Road and other popular streets that have seen a big increase of traffic because of the shutdown of Interstate 64/Highway 40 in St. Louis County. Trailnet is seeking permission from the various communities before "Share the Road" signs are installed.

It appeared the St. Louis BikeFed had a nice turnout at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Ill., and many people had bikes on their car. No doubt, many of them took advantage of the warm temperatures to ride on the nearby Madison County Transit Schoolhouse Trail, which passes near the convention center.

Labels: advocacy, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 0 comments 12:21 PM

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Fired up about Tour of Missouri

Once again, the folks at the Fired Up! Missouri blog are, well, fired up about the Tour of Missouri bicycle race. Here's what the blog -- with a heavy dose of hyperbole -- has to say about the race:

Now comes word that Kinder's bike race ran a $330,000 deficit--- and taxpayers are getting stuck wiping up the mess.

Recently released Missouri Development Finance Board minutes paint a picture of (Lt. Gov. Peter) Kinder strong arming the board he chairs for $350,000 in emergency funding to cover race shortfalls. Kinder also discloses that he is asking (Gov. Matt) Blunt to release state emergency budget reserves to cover other costs.

With all due respect to the folks at Fired Up! Missouri, it's real stretch to get call what Kinder did "strong arming" based solely on the minutes of the meeting. You can read them for yourself and come up with your own conculsions.

The short form is that the board approved the request of $350,000 to cover remaining costs associated with the Tour of Missouri.

Robert V. Miserez, the executive director of the board, said it had approved $100,000 for the race in August and said costs came in under budget, but revenues also came in under budget. Total revenue shortfall costs were approximately $330,000.

Kinder commented that not as much money was raised from sponsorships as they had hoped for, but he expected this would improve for the 2008 event. Vice Chairman John Starr said it is not unusual for an event to take several years to gain enough momentum and seed capital to have a self-sustaining event.

Earlier in the meeting, Kinder reported the economic data from the University of Missouri School of Business for the Tour of Missouri race and indicates the race had an economic impact of $26 million for Missouri and the out-of-state visitors stayed longer and spent more dollars at the race than the average tourists to the state.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation says Blunt and Kinder are supposed to announce the start and finish cities for the 2008 Tour of Missouri and discuss the economic impact of the 2007 race at a press conference Wednesday in Jefferson City.

I'm sure it will be entertaining to see what Fired Up! Missouri has to say about that.

Labels: racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 1 comments 1:41 AM

Friday, January 25, 2008

Anti-cyclist rant on St. Louis radio station

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation forums are somewhat hot and heavy today. Apparently, KTRS-AM 550 radio host McGraw Milhaven and several of his callers went on a rant today against cyclists. I didn't hear the broadcast myself, but many of the BikeFed folks said it was the same old garbage that has been heard on other talk radio shows throughout the country.

Geeeesh.

Labels: advocacy, radio, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 2:12 PM

Bicyclist's death ruled an accident

Before sunrise the morning of Dec. 20, 2007, Gerald Bickel was riding his bicycle to work on Illinois Route 111 in Pontoon Beach, Ill. Bickel's ride ended in tragedy when a pickup truck struck him from behind, killing the cyclist.

On Wednesday, a Madison County coroner's jury ruled Bickel's death was accidental.

The accident took place at 5:15 a.m. on a unlit section of Route 111. While the highway is in the village of Pontoon Beach, the roadway is surrounded by trees and farmland.

"It's so dark you can stand on the side of the roadway and you can't see until somebody is right up on you," Pontoon Beach police Capt. Daniel McKinney is quoted as saying in the Edwardsville Intelligencer. "In some instances you can't see anything until they pass you. I myself have traveled the road and not noticed people until it was too late. They were right along side me, and it was totally dark. It's not lit in any way, shape or form except by the moon."

Bickel, a 63-year-old former carpenter, was wearing dark clothing, and his bicycle did not have any reflective material, McKinney told the coroner's jury. He also said the driver of the truck did not see anything until he hit Bickel. Police found no evidence that either man had been drinking or using drugs.

Labels: fatal accidents, Illinois, safety

Roger 0 comments 12:52 PM

Liability shadow hangs over RAGBRAI

Most Iowa communities want to be a part of the Register Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa -- better known as RAGBRAI -- because the annual bicycle tour brings thousands of dollars to their communities.

The 38th edition of RAGBRAI starts July 20 in Missouri Valley with stops in Harlan, Jefferson, Ames, Tama-Toledo, North Liberty and Tipton before ending in Le Claire on July 26.

"We've seen towns that get 20,000 to 30,000 people," T.J. Juskiewicz, the ride's director told the Des Moines Register. "That's a lot of dollars. The economic impact, some towns have told us, is $2 million."

But not every local government is thrilled about the ride. This summer's ride doesn't pass through Crawford County, where the county's board of supervisors passed a resolution in October banning RAGBRAI or "any event of like kind and nature," the Register reported.

The supervisors approved the ban after it paid a $350,000 insurance settlement to the widow of a RAGBRAI rider who died in 2004. The rider was thrown from his bicycle after hitting a center-line crack on a Crawford County road.

The Register goes on to report that many county officials want the Iowa legislature to address the problem this year by providing an exemption for future court cases involving bicycles on county roads.

To me, it sounds a whole lot like the 1998 Illinois Supreme Court ruling that made bicyclists permitted, rather than intended, users of Illinois roads. The ruling held that local governments are liable for bicyclists' safety because of road condition only on streets marked or signed as a bike route.

I certainly understand the counties' desire to avoid liability, and I certainly understand that some road conditions that are unsafe for cyclists, including a crack in the middle of the pavement, aren't necessarily unsafe for drivers of cars, trucks and tractors. But my experience cycling on roads in North America tells me that the roads that are substandard for bicycles often are substandard for motorized vehicles as well.

A better solution would be one being offered by Iowa state Sen. Bill Dotzler. The Register reports Dotzler plans to introduce a bill in the Iowa legislature that would enable counties to get state grants to repair the roads.

Of course, that would involve spending money, but spending money to make roads safer for all users -- including cyclists -- seems like a wise use of taxpayers' money to me.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, Iowa, tours

Roger 0 comments 11:52 AM

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A new Angel for Specialized

Here's a disappointing bit of news: Jana Ireton won't be back as the Specialized Angel for this year's Amgen Tour of California bicycle race on Feb. 17-24.

Here's the note Jana sent me today.

Hello Roger,

Happy 2008! I hope all is well with you. Another great year of cycling is among us and TOC is less than a month away.

I was hoping to share the good news of my return as the Specialized Angel for the 3rd year, but Specialized did not ask for my return. I was heart-broken when they gave me the news that they decided to have another girl from Spain be the Angel at TOC this year. They thanked me for all I've done to make the Angel iconic and to not take it personal, but it was the majority opinion of having this someone be the Angel who spoke multiple languages and keeping it fresh for the press.

It was very difficult for me to imagine someone else in my wings. After all, I was the first Specialized Angel who the cycling industry was so taken with and I was so taken with them. Being that there has been one Devil (Didi Senft) in Europe for many years, I was dreaming whole-heartily of being the one Angel for the U.S. I do respect Specialized's decision for whomever they choose to be their Angel -- I'm just disheartened that it will not be me.

I have to say as I told Specialized that I am truly grateful to have been the Specialized Angel all this time and will remember this amazing experience for the rest of my life. I've been able to embrace the cycling phenomenon like never before. I absolutely loved being at the KOMs, starts, & finishes blowing my signature kisses to all the riders, team cars, motorcades, police squad cars, caravan, and of course the fantastic fans. So a special thanks to you and featuring me in your blog these past 2 years and although you will not see me in my glorious wings, I will be along the sidelines cheering on the riders at various stages of TOC and enjoying every moment as I have always done. And yes, "I am Specialized!"

Kisses,
Jana Ireton

I, too, am disappointed that Jana will not be the Specialized Angel. I've never met Jana, but she always has been kind and gracious in her notes to me over the years. It sounds like she's taking the news as well as can be expected, but the fact she still will attend the Tour of California tells me she's a class act.

With that, I leave you with one more photo of Jana:

Labels: Specialized Angel, Tour of California

Roger 2 comments 7:55 PM

Monday, January 21, 2008

BikeFed Swap Meet and Classic Bike Show

Just a reminder: The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation's 6th annual Swap Meet and Classic Bike Show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Drive in Collinsville, Ill.

Bicycle vendors will be showing and selling all sorts of bicycles and bicycle goods for great prices. the organization says. Vendors include several local bike shops, individuals, groups and more and many come from around the country. Admission is $6 in advance (buy online), $7 at the door.

This year’s Bike Swap includes:

• Bike fittings by Tim Ray of FitPro. For a small fee, Tim will measure you correctly so you know what size bike to buy. All proceeds from the fee will be donated to the Bike Fed.
• Bring your old bicycle inner tubes (please, no slime inside) and bicycle tires. REI will collect at their booth for recycling.
• Members of the Circus Day Foundation's St. Louis Arches, a youth circus troupe, will perform a bicycle circus show at 12:30 p.m.
• Question and Answer panel discussion with regional bicycling advocates at 2:00 p.m.

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. Prizes will be awarded. Many of the antique bicycles will be for sale. Contact Dan Schmitz 636-271-2600 or dan@stlmusclebikes.com for more information on the Classic Bike Show.

“This swap meet is the best way to find great bargains on cycling equipment all under one roof” said Karen Karabell, chair of the Bike Fed. “We want to support the cycling community, whether that be trail riders or bike commuters, in every way we can. One way to do that is to offer them the best deals in town.”

For more information, go online to the Swap Meet page at: www.stlbikefed.org or call 314-707-5001.

Labels: St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 0 comments 2:22 PM

Sunday, January 20, 2008

My best bicycling experience was. ...

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, along with the League of Illinois Bicyclists and Trek Bicycle Corp., are sponsoring a bicycle safety essay contest for fourth- and fifth-graders in Illinois.

The essay must be no more than 100 words and begin with: "My best bicycling experience was. ..." The essay also must must include at least one bicycle safety element, such as wearing a helmet, signaling, observing stop signs, red lights and other traffic laws.

In a letter to Illinois elementary school principals, White wrote: "Children under age 15 account for nearly 40 percent of all bicyclist injuries. By educating our youngsters about the importance of bike safety, we can help prevent injuries and even save lives. Participation in this contest is a creative way to make our youth more aware of safe bicycle operation and the bicycle rules of the road."

The winners of the state contest in each grade will receive a Trek 820 mountain bike. Second- and third-place winners will receive a bicycle helmet.

I know nearly all of you who read this blog are too old to enter the contest, but I'm challenging you to write a similar essay and post it in the comments below. Like the state of Illinois contest, you must write no more than 100 words and begin the essay with the words "My best bicycling experience was. ..." The essay also must must include at least one bicycle safety element, such as wearing a helmet, signaling, observing stop signs, red lights and other traffic laws.

As an incentive, I'm offering a prize for the best essay. The winner receives his or her choice of one free registration ($30 value) for the 2008 Tour de Stooges on Saturday, May 3, in Highland, Ill., an equivalent amount ($30) of Stooges memorabilia or a $30 gift certificate for a bicycle store of your choice.

The essay will be judged by me. Like the state essay contest, essays entered in my contest will be judged on creativity, originality, grammar and conformity to contest rules. Essays must be written as comments on this post. The deadline for essays will be 11:59 p.m. CST Sunday, Feb. 3. The winner will be announced Feb. 10.

For the duration of this contest, I'm not allowing anonymous posts on the blog to help me identify the winner.

Good luck and start writing!

Labels: essays, League of Illinois Bicyclists, safety

Roger 1 comments 9:09 PM

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Chief is coming home!

Gerry "Chief" Frierdich is coming home today!

Gerry, the Belleville, Ill., recumbent cyclist and award-winning photographer critically injured in August 2007 when his bicycle was struck by a pickup truck, will return home after spending months at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis County and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Gerry is paralyzed from the chest down, and he has limited use of his arms. Friends of Gerry have been remodeling his home so it will be accessible to him.

I've been spending much of the week working on a poster and fliers for the event, hence the lack of posts this week. The work on the benefit ride, planned for May 31, is much more important than working on this blog.

In addition to the ride and other events in 2008, the Kiwanis Club of Fairview Heights will be putting on The Branson on the Road show April 11-12. If you purchase tickets with the form at the ChiefGetWell.com Web site, a portion of the proceeds will go to Gerry's trust fund.

As always, you can learn more about Gerry at the ChiefGetWell.com site.

Labels: accidents, Belleville, cycling, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments 2:40 PM

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Chief's Road to Recovery

If you're looking for a bicycle ride for a good cause, keep Saturday, May 31, open for Chief's Road to Recovery bicycle ride in Belleville, Ill.

This is the benefit ride for Gerry "Chief" Frierdich, the Belleville recumbent cyclist and photographer critically injured Aug. 19 when he was struck by a pickup truck on South Green Mount Road in Belleville.

Friends and family of Gerry, along with the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society and the Touring Cyclist store in Fairview Heights, Ill., met earlier today to start making plans for the ride. In the weeks to come, we will be seeking sponsorships from Belleville-area businesses to make the ride a success.

Also in the weeks to come, we will be setting up a Web page for the ride at the ChiefGetWell.com site, which provides updates about Gerry's recovery, and setting up online registration for the ride through Active.com. When both sites become operational, we'll post information here and other cycling Web sites to spread the word.

Gerry is making progress in his recovery at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, but there's still a long way to go. Gerry's unable to walk or ride a bike, but he is able to move his arms.

There's a strong possibility Gerry will return to Belleville this month. Proceeds from the ride will be used to help pay for his rehabilitation, renovations needed for his home and other expenses not covered by insurance.

Labels: accidents, Belleville, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments 9:46 PM

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Birthday aftermath

After my Jan. 9 birthday post about the cool musicians who share a birthday with me, an anonymous poster asked whether there any photos of me at my current age, 47.

Yes, there is. And I suspect the person who made the anonymous post also was the person (Thomas Carter) who provided me this photo.

The photo was taken Wednesday during the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's Meet 'n' Eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory in St. Louis.

Although I didn't tell anyone from the group that it was my birthday. Longtime ride leader Arlene Willmann knew it was my birthday, and she proceeded to tell longtime member Bobbie Peduzzi about it. Bobbie then decided to have this cake made for me, complete with the group's mascot, Wiener Man!

The cake and the beverages members Wayne Baird and Keith Rhoades were a pleasant surprise and made the day truly special. Thanks to all!

By the way, Happy Birthday to my niece, Sereana, who is celebrating her 15th birthday today up in Evanston, Ill.!

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society

Roger 0 comments 10:55 AM

Tour of Missouri press conferences canceled

On Friday, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt was supposed to hold press conference in St. Louis, Columbia, Kansas City and Springfield about the economic impact of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race on the Show-Me State's economy.

But those press conferences were canceled.

The Springfield News-Leader had reported that the governor, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Tourism Director Blaine Lieutkemeyer had planned to visit cities that hosted the tour in 2007. But later, it reported that the press conferences were not on Blunt's calendar for Friday and that they would be rescheduled.

No reason was given for the cancellation, although at least one blogger speculated it was because of grilling Blunt faced at a Thursday press conference over a lawsuit that alleges Blunt played a role in a plan to destroy public records to cover up political activities by his staff.

Meanwhile, the governor and Kinder will announce cities that will participate in the tour later this month and will release information on the race route in February, Laurie Dawson, Kinder's director of administration, told the News-Leader.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 9:46 AM

Friday, January 11, 2008

Distracted Drivers Task Force

Illinois' Distracted Drivers Task Force began hearings this week to study the problem of distracted driving in Illinois, with particular attention to the impact of recent communications technology.

During a hearing in Springfield, the task force heard from the parents of Urbana cyclist Matt Wilhelm, who was died in 2006 after he was struck by a car driven by a woman who was downloading a cell phone ring.

State Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, and state Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, sponsored legislation creating the task force in response to the death of Gloria and Chuck Wilhelm's son.

"We can't legislate common sense, but we need a deterrent to selfish and reckless behavior," Gloria Wilhelm testified at the task force's first meeting on Wednesday, according to the News-Gazette.

The task force is required to give its final report to the General Assembly by July 1. The next public hearing by the task force headed by Secretary of State Jess White will be at 11 a.m. Feb. 19 at the James Thompson Center in Chicago.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that efforts will continue to create the offense of "negligent vehicular homicide." If the bill is passed, a motorist found guilty of the offense in a fatal accident could face up to a year in jail.

The legislation, prompted by Matt Wilhelm's death, stalled in the General Assembly last session, stalled despite having been passed by the House.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Illinois, safety

Roger 0 comments 11:11 PM

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Cool people with Jan. 9 birthdays!

When I took a gander at the Belleville News-Democrat's list of celebrity birthdays for Jan. 9, I found a rather diverse group of creative people. For example:

Folk legend Joan Baez turns 67 today:



Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is 64:



Country music artist Crystal Gayle is 57:



Dave Matthews is 41:



Oh, and by the way, it's my 47th birthday.

Labels: music

Roger 2 comments 11:39 AM

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Catching up

Just catching up on cycling headlines from the past few days. A couple of them reference the Tour of Missouri, so here goes:

TOUR OF AMERICA ORGANIZER SPEAKS OUT: British-based Cycling Weekly did an interview with Frank Arokiasamy, the Malaysian-born, U.S.-based businessman attempting to put together the ambitious Tour of America race. Arokiasamy still thinks he can get UCI approval for a 2008 ride, find sponsors and offer $1 million to the winner. Cycling Weekly asked him about the fact his proposed September race would conflict with the Tour of Missouri:

Q: Your proposed dates also clash with the new Tour of Missouri, which was very successful last year. In terms of goodwill and PR, it's not a great move is it?

A: Not at all. I don't think it's a good move, but in the big picture we don't have a choice. You can't put a race as big as this on the whole sporting calendar and not step on some toes. I regret that deeply. I'd like to talk to the people at the Tour of Missouri so that everyone can exist and complement each other and co-exist. When you want to do something big, you have no choice but to step on some toes. Tell me when there is a spot on the calendar when it doesn't clash. If someone can do that, please tell me.

The conflict not only involves overlapping dates, but the fact Tour of America would have stages in the Show-Me State at the same time as Tour of Missouri.

DAN SCHMATZ MOVES ON: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch did a story about Dan Schmatz, the St. Louis-area native who gained notoriety when he broke his arm after hitting an armadillo during the second stage of the 2007 Tour of Missouri.

Since then, Schmatz has left pro racing, but he returned to his second home in Colorado with a renewed sense of purpose, the Post-Dispatch reported. Schmatz has started a new career in real estate management and is passing on his racing expertise as director of the THF Realty Cycling Team, an amateur team that plans to participate in 10 to 15 U.S. races this year.

To mark the change in his life, Schmatz also has created a new version of his blog, Your Bike Sucks.

ILLINOIS 3-FEET LAW: In their roundups of new laws that took effect Jan. 1, most daily papers in Illinois only gave a sentence or two to the new law that requires motorists to give at least 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicyclists. But there were a couple of papers that took it a step further.

The Aurora Beacon News did a full story about the new law, and it cited startling statistics: According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were nearly nine cyclist-motorist accidents per day in the state of Illinois in 2006, with the vast majority of them taking place in Chicago. In 2006, 26 cyclists were killed in road accidents in Illinois.

The Kane County Chronicle, which serves some of Chicago's suburbs, also wrote about the law.

BIKE SEX CHANGE: My cycling friends Jody and Arlene may consider this sacrilege, but San Francisco Chronicle columnist David Curran recently wrote about how he turned his daughter's pink bicycle into a more masculine silver.

Here's how Curran described the original appearance of the bike, a $30 Magna purchased from Target:

This bike featured three shades of pink. And little pink flowers on top of the pink. You could safely accuse it of pink overkill. In big letters on the chain guard, it said "Starburst." No boy bikes are named Starburst.

How did he perform the sex-change operation? Duct tape. There's a lot more to this story, but I won't spoil the ending here.

Labels: advocacy, bicycles, cycling, Illinois, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 2:27 PM

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Trail sabotage

Thanks to the miracle that is The Associated Press, I found about this man who is accused of sabotaging a mountain bike trail in Fullerton, Calif.

Warren John Wilson, 52, faces a single felony count of vandalism, police Sgt. Linda King told the AP.

As many as 50 holes were dug in a popular bike trail, some disguised with branches and brush. Some bikers along the trail reported being thrown over their handlebars when they rode over the deliberately dug holes, although no one was seriously injured.

Police say they caught him leaving the trail that runs parallel to Fullerton's Bud Turner Trail at Laguna Lake Park after fresh holes had been dug, King told the Orange County Register.

When detectives questioned him, Wilson said he had "almost been run over" by a mountain bike rider and began digging the holes and placing obstacles on the trail to retaliate, King told the Register.

There's nothing quite like desecration to exact some vigilante "justice." While it's entirely possible that the cyclist was at fault in not yielding to a walker, Wilson -- if convicted -- may find out the hard way that reporting the incident to a park ranger or police officer would have been a much better way to deal with the problem than digging holes.

Labels: crime, mountain biking, Tour of California, trails

Roger 0 comments 10:14 AM

Friday, January 04, 2008

More bands on bikes

In 2006, I wrote extensively about the Ditty Bops' Bicycle Tour, which happened to include stops in St. Louis, Chicago, Springfield, Ill., and Kansas City, Mo., but there's two bands that are taking the concept of bicycle concert tours a step further.

On Oct. 18, the bands The Ginger Ninjas and Shake Your Peace! launched the Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour. They are riding more than 5,000 miles and playing more than 90 pedal-powered shows from the foothills of the Sierras in North San Juan, California, to the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. There will be no sag-wagons, and no buses hauling their gear: Everything -- including the 800 Watt human-powered public address system -- is being hauled entirely on bicycle!

According to the Ginger Ninjas' blog, the bands are supposed to be in Mazatlan, Mexico, today, and they're slated to be in Mexico City on Jan. 22-28. The tour is slated to end Feb. 11 in Palenque, Mexico.

"Our way of life threatens our way of life," said Ginger Ninjas frontman Kipchoge Spencer, described in the band's press release as a San Francisco Bay Area bike culture hero and co-originator of the Xtracycle Sport Utility Bicycle. "As people resonate with that point and start to contemplate giving up their cars and forsaking a lot of other conveniences they're accustomed to, on the surface it could seem like they're sacrificing and losing a lot. But the Pleasant Revolution is about realizing that by losing this stuff, we gain a life that's way more rich, humane, and happy. Anybody who stops driving and starts biking feels that. Biking doesn't feel like losing a car, it feels like you're getting your life back! The message of the Pleasant Revolution isn't: 'sacrifice til it hurts,' it's more, 'Drop the excess, and have the time of your life.'"

In the press release, the bands contend the tour will join other 2007 Bicycle Music Movement landmarks in what could be called "the year of the bicycle-based musician" – a year that witnessed a 600-mile, 25-show Shake Your Peace! Bicycle Tour of Utah in April and May 2007 (the first significant bicycle music tour to be accomplished without a sag wagon, and using a pedal powered PA system).

During the Ditty Bops Bicycle Tour, Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald did indeed ride their bikes from city to city -- I had the pleasure of riding with them between St. Louis and Edwardsville, Ill. -- but a support van carried their equipment and other members of their entourage.

The Ginger Ninjas and Shake Your Peace! also cited the success of the San Francisco Bicycle Music Festival on Aug. 11, a 100 percent bike-powered and bike-hauled event that the musicians say heralded the arrival of the Bicycle Music Movement to the world. The bands said the event drew 10 bands, five public venues, a 400 Watt pedal-powered PA system and outrageous cruiser rides taking over the city's streets between each festival stop.

Above, I've the video of the Ginger Ninjas for their song "Dick Cheney (Needs More Love)." I hope to post some more songs soon. Enjoy!

Labels: cycling, music, tours

Roger 1 comments 10:18 AM

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Happy New Year!

OK, I'm a little late with this, but I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year! With the coming of the new year, it's time to reflect on 2007 with a best/worst list:

BEST EVENT OF 2007: By far and away, the Tour of Missouri was the best event of 2007 for those of us in the Midwest. At first, I wondered whether Missourians would embrace the race, but big crowds at all the finish lines in the event proved that Missourians and the Midwest would come out for world-class cycling. Especially impressive was the fact that the final stage in St. Louis drew about 55,000 people despite the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams also were playing in downtown St. Louis that afternoon. The fact that Tour of Missouri was the U.S. swan song for the Discovery Channel team no doubt was a factor in the large crowds, and it was most fitting that George Hincapie, Lance Armstrong's longtime lieutenant, won the race.

BEST/WORST WEEKLONG RIDE OF 2007: The West Shoreline Tour in Michigan. It was my only weeklong tour of the year. The ride was great because of the scenery and because I managed to miss an August heat wave in St. Louis that week. The ride wasn't so good because I didn't get enough training in beforehand, meaning I rode much slower and with more rest breaks than I what I was used to.

BEST SINGLE-DAY RIDES OF 2007: One of them was my first significant ride of 2007 back in March, when I and three other friends did a 40-mile trip from Alton, Ill., to Pere Marquette State Park. Another was the "Donut Trail" ride, an informal ride with three other friends that toured some of south St. Louis's best doughnut shops. And, of course, the Belleville Area Bicycle and Eating Society's winery rides at Hidden Lake Winery near Aviston, Ill., and Ravissant Winery in Belleville, Ill., always rank among my favorites.

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2007: The Tour de Stooges drew more than 700 riders last year, about 200 people more than our previous high! It still continues to amaze me that people from 14 states attended the ride. I'm a bit nervous about the 2008 ride because we had to move the ride from its longtime home at McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., to Highland, Ill. However, even well-established rides such as the Hilly Hundred in Indiana have had to move because the ride outgrew their facilities, so we're confident the move will be a good one for the ride.

BEST TREND OF 2007: The willingness of the Illinois General Assembly to pass bicycle-friendly legislation. In a year not known for productivity in state government, lawmakers did approve a bill that requires motorists to give three feet of clearance when passing cyclists, allows cyclists to use their right arms to signal a right turn, among other things. The legislature also passed a bill that requires driver's education courses in Illinois to educate people about their obligations to share the road with cyclists. The most impressive triumph was the legislature's ability to override a veto by Gov. Rod Blagojevich of a "Complete Streets" bill, which requires bicycle and pedestrian ways to be considered when constructing roads in urban areas in Illinois.

As for 2008, it looks like May will be a hectic month for me. In addition to Tour de Stooges, I will be working with friends and relatives of Gerry Frierdich, the Belleville cyclist critically injured when his recumbent bicycle was struck by a pickup truck in August, for a fund-raising ride. Gerry is continuing his long recovery at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, but the good news is that he may be able to return to Belleville later this month.

Despite the organization work that goes into those rides, my goal is to balance that out with more cycling miles in March, April and May so that I will be ready for weeklong tours in the summer and fall. I haven't determined which rides I'm doing, but I should know by February.

I hope all of you will be able to reach your cycling goals for 2008!

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri, tours

Roger 0 comments 9:55 AM