Thursday, February 28, 2008

Trailblazing in Southwestern Illinois

The other day while I driving up to Gillespie, Ill., for an organizational meeting for the 2008 Tour de Coal, I noticed an encouraging sign.

Madison County Transit has started work on a 5.5-mile trail between Staunton and Worden. Work still is in the very early stages, but barricades have been placed on where the trail will intersect roads between Staunton and Worden.

MCT has received state grants for that trail as a well as a trail between Hamel and Staunton. When those are completed, cyclists will be able to ride on a trail or bike lane from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge to the Macoupin County line.

Once in Staunton, the home of the original Tour de Donut bicycle "race," the ITS Trail Committee is still working on plans to build a trail that will link Staunton with an existing trail between Benld and Gillespie. As mentioned here before, the long-term goal is to build bicycle trails that will link St. Louis and Springfield.

Below is a video shot for the public access cable TV channel in Staunton. It's an interview with Dr. Poonam Jain, president of the ITS Trail Committee's board, and Jarid Ott, the committee's executive director:



It appears the movement to build more bicycle trails in Southwestern Illinois is gaining momentum.

My friends at GEARS, also known as the Greenville Eating and Riding Club, and the Kingsbury Park District, which covers much of Bond County, are looking into the possibility of building bicycle trails in that rural county.

For those of you unfamiliar with Southwestern Illinois geography, Bond County is the county immediately east of Madison County roughly bisected by Interstate 70. Many Bond County residents are familiar with the MCT trail system.

Dr. Tracy Hall, who created the GEARS group and is a longtime member of the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society, reports many members of her group attended a park district meeting Monday night to express their support of trails in the Greenville area.

GEARS and the park district have a lot of homework to do before trails become reality in that county, but at least they have good resources nearby to get information on how to get money for trails.

Labels: Illinois, trails

Roger 0 comments 1:05 PM

Sunday, February 24, 2008

2008 Tour of California summary

"Seems it never rains in Southern California.
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before.
It never rains in California.
But, girl, don't they warn ya.
It pours, man, it pours."

With apologies to Albert Hammond, who wrote and recorded the 1970s hit "It Never Rains in Southern California," the finishers of this year's Amgen Tour of California certainly can tell you that it does indeed rain in California.

After getting soaked by the rains drenched some of this year's ride, including the final stage today that ended at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Levi Leipheimer soaked in the glory of having won his second straight Tour of California. Slipstream-Chipotle's David Millar and Christian Vande Velde, a Chicago-area native, filled out the final podium.

2007 Tour of Missouri winner and former Discovery Channel teammate George Hincapie won the final stage, nearly a minute ahead of the pack that included Leipheimer.

Despite the horrible weather -- by Southern California standards -- a large crowd came out for the final stage, according to media reports.

Now that Leipheimer has won the Tour of California, maybe he can win his next battle, getting in the 2008 Tour de France.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of California

Roger 1 comments 6:56 PM

My 'baby' sister in the news

About a week and a half ago, I gave kudos to my older sister, Teresa Parod, for her new Web site featuring her artwork. Now it's time to give some props to my younger sister, Karen Brooks.

Karen's picture was on the front page of Sunday's edition of The (Alton, Ill.) Telegraph. Photographer Jim Bowling caught my sister in the act of tying balloons to hand out to visitors on Saturday afternoon for the Toddle Towne Learning Center’s 20th-year reunion on Humbert Road in Alton. Karen has been a nursery teacher at Toddle Towne for 14 years.

Anyone who can put up with preschoolers eight hours a day for 14 years deserves a lot of credit in my book!

It's the second time that Jim has taken a photo of someone in my immediate family, and it's the second time the photo was on Page One. Back in 2005, my mom, Jean Kramer, attended an event honoring Charley Kevilus, an Alton man who has cerebral palsy, but makes a living collecting aluminum cans in the Alton area. Both my mom and Karen, collect cans for his business.

Even though I'm a hardened veteran of the newspaper business -- I can take it or leave it if my name's in the paper -- I still get excited when someone in my family makes the paper.
Way to go!

Labels: family, newspapers

Roger 0 comments 12:43 PM

Friday, February 22, 2008

'Change Your View' TV spots

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation has produced four public service announcements that promote bicycling for transportation. They've been posted on YouTube, as you can see below, and they're being shown on KMOV-TV, Channel 4, in St. Louis. It's four 30-second spots in one video.



As you can see, the four spots are devoid of cyclists wearing lycra shorts and multicolored cycling jerseys. But they are wearing helmets. No doubt, the spots are trying to show that bicycling is a form of transportation for everyone.

Patty Vinyard, the group's executive director, said the spots will be shown on other St. Louis TV stations in the near future.

Labels: advocacy, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 0 comments 11:20 AM

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Karaoke cycling: Is it a good thing?

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch this week introduces its readers to the world of karaoke cycling.

Each Tuesday, participants climb aboard their stationary bikes at the Edward Jones YMCA in Maryland Heights, Mo., and sing while doing their workouts. Here's a little taste of the article"

"Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Who is the cheerleader? Not the fitness instructor — it's a recording of Janis Joplin, singing "Piece of My Heart" at the top of her formidable lungs, providing a good beat and plenty of encouragement in the process.

Dutifully, the furiously pedaling cyclers step up the pace, and then they join Joplin for the familiar refrain: "Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Should the idea expand to outdoor cycling?

If you can sing as well as Sheryl Crow, the one-time girlfriend of Lance Armstrong, it's probably a good idea.

If you sing like an "American Idol" reject, probably not.

I've been known to sing on rare occasions on training rides, but those are well out of earshot of anyone else. Although I've been told I can sing reasonably well in group settings, I fall into the vocally challenged category when I sing solo.

I have two words of advice for people who can't sing, yet are inclined to do so while cycling: Bob Dylan. You can never go wrong singing karaoke to a Dylan song.

Labels: fun, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 11:48 AM

The new Specialized Angel

Photo by Ken Conley

Thanks to California photographer Ken Conley, we have an interesting photo of the new Specialized Angel who has been gracing this year's Amgen Tour of California.

I haven't been able to track down her name, despite numerous Google news, blog and Web searches.

A reader who commented on an earlier post about the previous Specialized Angel, Jana Ireton, thinks the new Angel is very lovely.

I would agree, but I have to admit I'm an Jana fan. But, as Jana says, I wish Specialized and its new Angel the best of luck.

Labels: Specialized Angel, Tour of California

Roger 2 comments 2:21 AM

Monday, February 18, 2008

Let Levi ride!

Fans of Levi Leipheimer no doubt will want to go to his new Web site, LetLeviRide.com, to let their feelings known the Tour de France's decision last week to exclude his new team, Astana, from this year's event because of past doping problems with that team.

In the effort to "save the 2008 Tour de France," Leipheimer is calling on his fans to sign an online petition to have him and his team reinstated in the race.

"There can be no comparison between the Astana team of 2007 and the new Astana," the Web site states. "The entire organizational structure has been rebuilt under the direction of the team’s new General Manager, Johan Bruyneel, who has thoroughly cleaned house. What’s more, Astana has adopted the rigorous doping controls developed by anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, and Astana now spends more money on anti-doping controls than any other team in the pro peloton."

In addition to the online petition, T-shirts, hats and stickers will be available soon.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour de France

Roger 3 comments 12:04 AM

Friday, February 15, 2008

Economic impact of the Tour of Missouri

Two recent reports by Tour of Missouri organizers and the University of Missouri’s Tourism Economics Research Initiative reveal some interesting numbers about the economic impact of the inaugural 2007 event. It already had been revealed that the race was estimated to bring in $26 million into Missouri's economy. Here's some more numbers:

• The estimated number of spectators totaled 367,566 with 255,529 unique stage spectators.
• St. Louis is estimated to have hosted the most spectators at the beginning or end of a stage,
  with an estimated 50,000 at the final stage of the Tour. Of those, 20,089 were at the St. Louis finish line (Union Station), with the rest scatted along the circuit.
• The fifth stage between Jefferson City and St. Charles came in second with an estimated 45,000 spectators. Of that, 7,478 were at the St. Charles finish.
  
• Household travel parties averaged 2.05 people spending $560.85. In Fiscal Year 2006, average expenditures by domestic travelers in Missouri (per household travel party) were $307.25.
• On average, 41.8% of the start/finish line spectators came from outside the local area. Kansas City had the highest percentage (60.19%), followed by Branson (59.24%) and
  St. Charles (48.23%).
• 25.6% of the out-state respondents stated they had not visited the interview site within the
  past five years. 73% said the Tour of Missouri was very important or extremely important
  in planning their trip.

The organizers of the event contend that the higher numbers at St. Louis and St. Charles stages were the number of spectators at the finish. That may be possible, judging from anecdotal evidence I heard from spectators and personal observations. Many people who may have watched an earlier portion of a stage also traveled to the finish line.

You can see the unfiltered numbers in the Tourism Economics Research Initiative's "The Economic Impact of the 2007 Tour of Missouri" (PDF file). Filtered numbers can be found in the Tour of Missouri's Annual Report (PDF file).

Labels: cycling, Missouri, racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 12:36 PM

2008 Amgen Tour of California

Will Levi Leipheimer defend his Amgen Tour of California title? We'll find out next week as the event kicks off Sunday with the Prologue in Palo Alto, Calif.

Although I will leave the expert commentary to the sources listed on the right column of this blog and to California-based blogs such as Fritz's Cycle-Licious, I may talk about aspects of the Tour from time to time.

For those of us stuck in the Midwest, the Versus cable TV channel will be providing same-day coverage of the race, beginning at 4 p.m. CST Sunday. If that's not good enough for you, you can watch each day's stages live, "as live" and highlights at Cycling TV. You can see a lower-resolution version (up to 400 kbs) of the race for free, or you can pay to see a higher-resolution version (up to 1,200 kbs).

It will be odd to see Leipheimer and George Hincapie racing for a team other than the now-disbanded Discovery Cycling Team. Leipheimer will be racing for Astana, while Hincapie will be racing for High Road.

Other top racers entered in the Tour of California include Bobby Julich (Team CSC), Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonan (Quick Step), and David Millar and David Zabriskie (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30).

Sadly, too, this will be the first Tour of California without Jana Ireton as the Specialized Angel. As reported here last month, a woman from Spain will be the new Specialized Angel. Jana said Specialized wanted an Angel who spoke multiple languages.

Jana said she still be along the sidelines watching the races. While I'm sure the new Specialized Angel will be lovely as she blows kisses to the cyclists as they pass, it won't be the same. Jana really impressed me as a class act; she always sent me and other bloggers who featured her thank-you notes for writing about her.

Although the race is only three years old, it is the gem of Medalist Sports' stable of multiday American stage races. Medalist Sports also plays a key role in the Tour of Georgia and Tour of Missouri.

Let the racing begin!

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of California

Roger 2 comments 11:24 AM

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

TeresaParod.com

My older sister, Teresa Parod, unveiled her new Web site tonight, with a URL of -- appropriately enough -- TeresaParod.com.

Teresa, an Evanston, Ill.-based artist and art instructor, has posted many examples of her oil paintings and drawings on her site.

Teresa has visited 31 countries on 5 continents, far outdoing her younger brother, who has only visited 3 countries on 1 continent. But I least I can say I've bicycled in more states and Canadian provinces than she has!

Her vast travels have influenced her work, as indicated by the painting shown at left, "Burmese Temples." But she also draws from influences closer to home, such as the Howard Street EL Station in Chicago and the Amtrak trains that pass the farms of central Illinois as they cruise between Chicago and St. Louis.

Teresa's travels to Indonesia influenced her to join the Indonesian Performing Arts Group in Chicago, and she has danced in many of the group's shows.

Some of Teresa's bicycling adventures are chronicled on this site, her 1985 trek on the Bicycling the Magnificent Miles of Illinois -- the first weeklong trip Teresa and I ever did -- and her 2004 trek with her two children, Julius and Sereana, on the West Shoreline Tour in Michigan. Teresa and Julius are planning to ride Bike Virginia this year, but I won't be able to join them this year.

I feel blessed to have had two gifted artists in my family -- Teresa and my late brother, Wes Kramer, shown in Teresa's drawing at left. My younger sister, Karen Brooks, also can draw rather well, although she didn't pursue a career in the arts. While I cannot draw or paint as well as Teresa does or Wes did, I feel fortunate that God gave me enough of an artistic eye to take photos, design newspaper pages and create Web sites.

At least one of my friends have marveled how artistically influenced we were for being the children of a steelworker. Well, my late father, Henry "Gene" Kramer may have toiled for years as a blue-collar worker and on the family farm near Brighton, Ill., but he frequently drew and occasionally painted. My grandmother, Bertha Kramer, also was quite a prolific artist. They, however, did not have the opportunities that Teresa, Wes and I had. Even my mother, Jean Kramer, who often complained about not being able to draw, has an artistic eye. I remember a photo she took of a tree during the fall and how well-composed it was, even though she had never received formal education in the Rule of Thirds or other aspects of formal composition.

I hope you'll take the time to visit my sister's Web site and enjoy her work. I'm also grateful she included a link to my site, and I will insert links to her site on the BAMMI and Shoreline pages.

Labels: art, family, Illinois

Roger 0 comments 11:20 PM

Belleville dog is Numero Uno

The world's second-most famous beagle -- sorry, Snoopy remains No. 1 -- was bred and born right here in Belleville, Ill.

Tuesday night, Uno won Best of Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York.

"We knew from the very beginning that he is a special one," Uno's breeder and owner, Kathy Weichert of Belleville, told the Belleville News-Democrat before the win. Weichert owns K-Run Kennels in Belleville. "He is the kind of dog every breeder dreams of producing. There is no other way to put it. He is what you strive for."

The Page A1 I designed for the News-Democrat was a bit of a headache because the award wasn't given until about 10 p.m. CST Tuesday. I'm supposed to have our first edition Page A1 out by 11:30 p.m. Plenty of time, right?

Not really.

We had one picture taken Monday already in the slot, but I was hoping for a photo from that evening to put in there. The photos from The Associated Press didn't start trickling in until about 10:15. I had picked one of Uno howling after his victory, but I was hoping for something better.

The photo we ended up using came about 10:40, but there were a few problems. One, the original photo was a horizontal photo, and the photo had to be a vertical because I had no time to do a completely new layout. Two, Uno's genitalia were clearly showing. Three, Uno's handler had one of his hands very close to Uno's crotch.

I took a few moments to crop the photo to what I needed and rushed it to our pre-press department for toning to make sure it reproduces correctly on our printing press. Many thanks to Jill Beiter for taking the late photo and working so quickly to get it right.

It took a few more minutes to make final crops to the photos and cuts to the stories to make everything fit. It was 11:05 p.m. before I could print proofs for my copy desk colleagues for our last chance to catch mistakes before they go to print. There were other deadline pages that also needed to be proofed, so I did let go of the page until 11:34, four minutes late.

After deadline, several of us had a late drink at the Blue Agave club in downtown Belleville. One of my colleagues, Dale Parker, seemed really excited about the beagle's victory.

"They ought to put a statue of the beagle on the Public Square!" Dale exclaimed. "They should have a parade for the beagle!"

Given that it doesn't take much for Belleville to have a parade and that they're well-attended by the public -- people chain lawnchairs to sign posts more than seven hours in advance of the city's annual Shrine Circus Parade in June -- I would not be surprised to see Uno atop a Belleville firetruck cruising down Main Street.

Labels: Belleville, dogs, newspapers

Roger 0 comments 10:24 PM

Suspect in bike trail attack arrested

For the second time in a week, a suspect has been arrested in an attack on a bike trail in the metro-east, the Illinois counties of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

Jimmy Joe Huston, 25, was charged in Madison County Circuit Court with unlawful restraint after he allegedly pushed a female jogger off the Madison County Transit Nature Trail near Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and down a ravine last May 20. She resisted and was able to break free with only minor injuries.

Last week, Edwardsville police learned that Huston was in Wakulla County, Fla. Police contacted U.S. marshals, who, on Feb. 7, arrested Jimmy Joe Huston where he had been staying. Huston, 26, was taken to the Wakulla County Jail. He did not resist arrest, according to a news release from Edwardsville police.

Metro-east law enforcement officials should be commended for the new arrest, along with the arrest last week of a suspect in a 2006 attack on the MetroLink Bicycle Trail in Belleville and the felony charges filed in the August 2007 accident that injured recumbent cyclist Gerry Frierdich.

It's encouraging for all residents of the metro-east, not just cyclists and joggers, that authorities are following through with these type of cases.

Labels: Illinois, trails

Roger 0 comments 12:40 PM

Cycling Blog Directory

Imagine my surprise last night while I was going through my e-mail and found out this humble little blog was ranked in the top 10 in the cycling category at Blogged.com!

"Our editors recently reviewed your blog and have given it an 8.6 score out of (10). Your blog is currently in the top ten in the Sports/Cycling category of Blogged.com," stated the note from Amy Liu of Blogged.com's marketing department. "This is quite an achievement!"

Other blogs that scored an 8.6 include Fritz's Cycle-Licious blog, Endless Cycle and AZ Freeride. Fritz's blog always has been one of my favorites, while I need to make myself familiar with the other two blogs.

Amy's note indicated the blogs were judged on frequency of updates, relevance of content, site design and writing style. I guess I must be doing something right!

Labels: blogs, Web site

Roger 2 comments 3:12 AM

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride

I'm pleased to announce that registration for The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride is now open!

The ride will take place Sunday, June 1, at Central Junior High School in Belleville, Ill. Registration will be from 7 to 10 a.m. The cost of the ride is $25 for adults, $15 for children 13-17 and $5 for children 5 and under. You can sign up in one of three ways:

• Through Active.com (Active.com charges a small processing fee)
• By mail, using this PDF form.
• You also can sign up the day of the ride.

If you're unable to attend the ride, but still want to make a donation, you can do so through Active.com.

In case you're not familiar about the story of Gerry Frierdich, Gerry was critically injured Aug. 19, 2007, when his recumbent bicycle was struck by a pickup truck on South Green Mount Road in Belleville, Ill. The driver of the truck, Keith Joseph McCoy, has been charged in St. Clair County Circuit Court with two counts of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence, a felony charge in Illinois. The case is pending.

The accident left Gerry paralyzed from the chest down, and proceeds from the ride will be used to pay for Gerry's future medical care and other necessities.

Gerry, a Belleville native, is a 1977 Cathedral Grade School grad and a 1981 Althoff Catholic High School grad.

After high school, he remained in Belleville where, for more than 20 years, he worked as an award-winning Master Photographer with Crafty Eye Studio in Belleville. Gerry has earned the respect of others in his field as well as the thousands he has photographed. Gerry’s name, face and talent are known throughout Belleville and the surrounding communities. He has set the bar through his photography by his ability to capture the best in each and every one of us.

Before the accident, Gerry not only was a cyclist, he was an avid golfer, runner, boater, skier, snowboarder and archer.

In addition to seeking riders, we are seeking sponsors for the event. To learn more about the event, including sponsorship opportunities, visit the ride's Web site.

We hope you will be able to help out Gerry and spread the word.

Labels: accidents, Belleville, Gerry Frierdich, tours

Roger 0 comments 12:56 PM

Friday, February 08, 2008

Man charged in bike trail attack

The Belleville News-Democrat reported today that a man has been charged in the 2006 attack of a woman on the MetroLink Bike Trail in Belleville, Ill.

The attack prompted organizers of the Tour de Belleville, a nighttime ride held in July, to use proceeds from the 2007 ride to help purchase emergency call towers for the trail.

Michael W. White, formerly of Cahokia, Ill., was charged Feb. 1 with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery and criminal sexual abuse. His bond has been set at $200,000.

The woman was jogging on the trail near McKinley Avenue the night of the attack when the suspect knocked her to the ground, got on top of her, covered her mouth with his hand and grabbed her breast, police said. He let go after she managed to kick him in the groin.

This year's Tour de Belleville is slated for Friday, July 11. Phil Elmore, the chief organizer for the event, says proceeds from this year's ride will be used to install flashing signals on the bike trail at busy intersections within the city's jurisdiction.

Labels: Belleville, Tour de Belleville, trails

Roger 0 comments 11:58 AM

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Cannondale goes Canadian

As the owner of two Cannondale road bikes, I read with great concern that Montreal-based Dorel Industries has purchased Cannondale Bicycle Corp. The purchase is reported as an all-cash transaction valued between $190 million and $200 million, VeloNews reported this week.

Dorel also owns Pacific Cycle, the parent company of Schwinn, GT and Mongoose.

As a result of the acquisition, Dorel’s recreational/leisure segment, which includes Pacific Cycle, InStep, Playsafe and Roadmaster, will be split into two separate divisions, VeloNews reported. The Cannondale Sports Group, which will target the independent bicycle dealer and be separate from the mass-market line, will include Cannondale, Sugoi, GT and the company’s other premium bicycle brands, presumably Schwinn and Mongoose. Cannondale Sports has already stated that it plans to seek acquisitions of similar high-quality brands.

Bethel, Conn.-based Cannondale Bicycle Corp. also includes the Sugoi Performance Apparel Co.

CyclingNews.com reported this about the sale:

"As with any event of this nature, speculation as to how this will affect Cannondale's corporate structure and product line have run rampant but (Cannondale President and CEO Matt) Mannelly and (Pacific Cycle President Jeff Frehner) Frehner were quick to dispel any rumors. According to them, there are no plans 'at this point' to move production overseas (other than items that are already produced in Asia, that is), Cannondale designers and engineers will still be able to pursue their trademark 'out of the box' style of research and development, and the company will remain very distinctly focused on the enthusiast independent bicycle dealer) market."

For more than 20 years, I've been happy with the quality of Cannondale bicycles. Their aluminum frames are well-suited for a larger cyclist such as myself. The fact that both of my Cannondale bikes were made in the United States is a bonus.

Let's hope Cannondale's new owner not only keeps up the quality of the bikes, but continues to make bicycles in the United States.

Labels: bicycles, Cannondale, United States

Roger 1 comments 4:49 PM

Billie Teneau faces life head on

The Suburban Journals has a nice feature today about Billie Teneau, easily the Gateway Council of Hostelling International's most dedicated volunteer. Here's a brief excerpt from the story:

"A tiny woman, Teneau (pronounced Tea-no) has a big presence. She does nothing halfway and believes in 'supersizing' almost everything she does."

The story focuses on Billie's 50 years of service as an actress and director with the Hawthorne Players, a St. Louis-area community theater group, but it doesn't talk about her contributions to the Gateway Council.

Let me fill in a few of the gaps.

This year alone, she will be one of the ride leaders for the Flat-as-a-Pancake Century Ride on May 31 in New Baden, Ill.; the Peach Pedal Ride on July 26-27 in Belleville, Ill.; and Cycle Across Missouri on June 8-13 in central Missouri. Those are just the major rides. She also leads lots of smaller rides for the Gateway Council over the course of the year.

She's always willing to lend a hand on other people's rides. She is a regular volunteer on the Tour de Stooges that I lead for the Gateway Council. After helping out with registration, Billie then goes out and rides the 30- or 42-mile route.

Billie truly is one of the unsung heroes of the St. Louis cycling scene. If you're on a bicycle ride in the St. Louis area and see her at registration or on the road, be sure to thank her for all she does for cycling in our community.

In the article, Billie is coy about her age, describing herself only as "being a senior citizen for years." I roughly know how old she really is, but in deference to Billie, I'm not saying a word. Let's just say that I hope I have a fraction of her energy when -- or if -- I reach her age.

Labels: cycling, Gateway Council of Hostelling International, St. Louis, tours

Roger 0 comments 11:09 AM

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Super Tuesday

Voters in 24 states -- including Illinois and Missouri -- will vote in primary contests or caucuses today, hence, this is Super Tuesday.

I won't make any endorsements here; my job at the Belleville News-Democrat newspaper keeps me from doing that. However, I do urge all of you in the Super Tuesday states to vote. A lot is at stake this election.

Labels: elections

Roger 0 comments 1:36 AM

Sheldon Brown: 1944-2008

One of the pioneers of the Internet cycling community, Sheldon Brown, passed away Sunday night. Fritz of the Cycle-Licious blog reported that he died of a massive heart attack.

Although I never met or communicated with Sheldon, his site was one of the first I visited as I created this Web site back in 2001. Sheldon established the Web site for him and the Harris Cyclery shop in Massachusetts on Dec. 4, 1995.

The site has a bit of a retro look by today's Internet standards, but it has a wealth of information about a wide range of topics from basics for beginners to information about fixed-gear bikes.

It is my hope that someone will keep his site alive as friends of another Internet cycling pioneer, Ken Kifer, did after he was killed by a drunk driver in September 2003.

In the meantime, you can leave a comment at his memorial site.

Labels: cycling, Web site

Roger 0 comments 1:22 AM

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Got $5,000 to spare? Then go to Italy!

Today, I read with great interest -- and great envy-- the St. Louis Post-Dispatch story by Scott Anderson about his recent Backwoods trip to the Tuscany region of Italy.

"Riding a bike offers a unique up-front and personal perspective on whatever strange land you might be visiting. On our ride, the best part was stopping and talking to the folks along the way," Scott wrote.

That also sums up the reason why I do so many weeklong tours, although not nearly as luxurious as the Backwoods trips..

Scott wrote in detail about his travels, and he had this to say about the hills of the region:

To an active bicyclist, 45 miles a day doesn't sound like a lot. And, to be sure, Backroads and other touring companies offer trips in Italy that feature more mileage and more elevation each day.

But you must consider the hills when planning a trip for Tuscany, because these are hills in the big sense of the word. In some cases, they stretch for several miles, with an angle of incline approaching 8 percent, with five or six "switchbacks" to help in the ascent. (For comparison, the Tour De France features hills in the 10 percent to 12 percent range of incline).

He took several wonderful photos, so I encourage you to go take a look.

I was ready to go right now -- until I saw the price tag. The ride itself cost nearly $4,000 per person. Air fare from St. Louis to Rome was $900 per person. The train trip from Rome to Florence was $100 per person.

I have no doubt the price is worth it. Tracy, a friend of mine from the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society, loves traveling with Backwoods, and she takes trips (mostly domestic) with Backwoods each year. Maybe someday I'll save enough pennies to make that trip.

In the meantime, I will have to settle with more economical trips. In June, I plan to do either the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, the Katy Trail Ride or the Grand Illinois Trail and Parks ride. In late September-early October, I hope to be able to do Cycle North Carolina, and I hope I still have a few bucks available for BubbaFest in early November.

I foresee one of those weeks falling by the wayside, but I want to hit the road this year. I better start getting in shape now!

Labels: cycling, tours

Roger 0 comments 11:27 PM

Dear Abby on trail use

I somehow missed this Dear Abby column that appeared in the Belleville News-Democrat and other newspapers throughout the United States on Jan. 31. (I have to admit that I tend to skim Lifestyle sections in any newspaper I read and focus more closely on News and Sports sections).

But the ever-vigilant Cycling Dude (Kiril Kundurazieff) wrote about it on his blog the other day. I, like Kiril, agree with many of the points that readers made in the column.

The complaints are similar to ones I've heard over the years: Cyclists whiz by walkers without warning, and walkers two or more abreast don't move over when cyclists do warn them. I can tell you from first-hand experience that both are true.

"The obvious solution is for walkers and riders to be considerate of one another, recognizing that we share a common road through life," Celia in Missoula, Mont., suggested.

Amen to that!

Labels: trails

Roger 0 comments 2:01 PM

Tracking bike problems in St. Louis

St. Louis now has two Web sites where cyclists can keep track of trouble spots and post details about accidents and other problems.

The first site is The Right Ride. Users can plot hazards on a Google-generated map, then explain what make those areas hazardous. The Right Ride also has similar services for Chicago, Kansas City, Boston, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix and Hartford, Conn.

The second site is the STLBiking.com forums, where users are asked to describe traffic incidents involving bicycles. Users are asked to give the date, location, a factual description of the incident, names of involved parties, physical damages and injuries.

Hopefully, the two sites will succeed in keeping cyclists safe and prompting city, county and state governments to take action to correct the problems.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, safety, St. Louis

Roger 3 comments 12:57 AM

Friday, February 01, 2008

Kristin Armstrong coming to St. Louis

Kristin Armstrong, the former wife of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, will be running in the Go! St. Louis half-marathon on April 6.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Kathleen Nelson writes in her Jog Blog that Kristin was slated to speak at the pre-run pasta party on April 5 and that she decided to run the race instead.

I wrote about Kristin back in 2005, and it's great to see she's still running full speed ahead. As a fellow Catholic, I found her story about how she turned to faith to deal with the pain of divorce inspirational.

Kristin also is a fellow blogger, and you can find her blog over at Runner's World.

I continue to wish her well in her running and personal endeavors.

Labels: Catholic

Roger 0 comments 12:15 AM

Thrift store sells boy's bike while shopping

Cody Young didn't want someone to steal his bicycle, so he parked it just inside the Goodwill store while he was shopping for speakers on Sunday in South Salem, Ore. A few minutes later, someone bought the 13-year-old's black BMX for $6.99, according to the On Deadline blog at USA Today.

Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. I won't spoil it here, so go visit On Deadline and find out how the story ends.

Labels: bicycles

Roger 0 comments 12:10 AM