Friday, April 25, 2008

Stooging, not blogging

I've been way too busy this week to do a lot of meaningful blogging, so here's a summary of the week so far:

Tour de Stooges: With the event almost a week away, most of my time not spent at the Belleville News-Democrat or in bed has been spent ironing out final details of the Tour de Stooges on Saturday, May 3, in beautiful Highland, Ill. We have well more than 200 pre-registered riders so far, and we expect a big rush before online registration closes at noon Wednesday.

Bicycle World: My old buddy Hal Leventhal at the Belleville, Ill.-based Bicycle World wanted a Web site, and now he has one: bellevillebicycleworld.com. The version I created for him is a rough draft just to get something on the Web. I'll be working on the real version of the site after Tour de Stooges dies down.

Roger's on Twitter: I decided to create a Twitter site. Why, I really don't know what I'll end up doing with that site, but I'll probably use it to promote items on this site plus briefly discuss personal things that don't really fit on this blog. So far, my only two followers are Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. I'm sure they really care what's going on in my life, but I'm following them just for the fun of it. If you have a Twitter site and want to follow me, be my guest!

Belleville News-Democrat: My employer has a knack of throwing special projects my way either in the weeks before Tour de Stooges or when I go on vacation, but both of these projects I'm working on are worth the effort I'm putting into them. I can't publicly discuss them at the moment because I don't want to tip off the competition, but they will be of interest to our readers.

Don't expect to see too much here in the coming week, but I hope you're keeping up with the news about Tour de Georgia on the news feeds in the right-hand column and seeing what other bicycle bloggers have to say.

Labels: Belleville, Tour de Stooges, Web site

Roger 0 comments 12:35 AM

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Kidical Mass

Cyclists from Oregon and Oklahoma are hoping that their new grassroots effort, Kidical Mass, will take root and encourage children and families to ride their bikes.

Why the effort? "To celebrate the fact that kids are traffic too. For family fun on vehicles that don’t hurt the future! Another excuse to get ice cream," The Kidical Mass site for Eugene, Ore., says.

In a recent story on the Bike Portland blog, editor Jonathan Maus explained the concept in a little more detail:

The city of Eugene has come up with a kinder, gentler, and younger spin on Critical Mass — “Kidical” Mass.

The idea came from bike advocate Shane Rhodes. Rhodes — who manages the Safe Routes to Schools program for a Eugene-area school district — says the idea came to him during an early morning brainstorm about an upcoming visit to his city by filmmaker Ted White.

“The bike movement has grown up, and now it has kids!”

The first Kidical Mass ride in Eugene was scheduled Friday night (April 18). Kidical Mass rides also were slated for Friday in Bend and Ashland, Ore., and Tulsa, Okla. The Kidical Mass rides began April 3 in Portland, and a Kidical Mass ride is slated for June 20 as part of Portland's Pedalpalooza event.

Promoters of Kidical Mass say it is a law-abiding easy ride in traffic. Helmets are required, and decorations and bike bells are encouraged.

I learned about the rides through the ChampaignCountyBikes e-mail list. There seems to be interest in developing Kidical Mass for the Champaign-Urbana area, but no definite plans have been made.

Roger 1 comments 12:52 AM

Friday, April 18, 2008

A bit of shakin' going on

Yes, we in the Midwest have earthquakes.

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:37 a.m. CDT, and was centered about 115 miles east of Belleville, and six miles from West Salem in Edwards County, Ill. It was felt in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.

I managed to sleep through that earthquake, but I most definitely felt an aftershock from this morning's earthquake. It hit the region at 10:15 a.m., almost six hours after a magnitude 5.2 quake struck the Midwest at 4:37 a.m. That registered at 4.5 magnitude. Another hit two hours after the initial quake, at 6:55 a.m., registering 2.6.

So far, there aren't many reports of major damage. Here are some stories:

• Belleville News-Democrat
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch

While my part of the world isn't as notorious for earthquakes as California, we have our share here. The most famous is the New Madrid, Mo., earthquake on Feb. 7, 1812. That quake caused shifted the course of the Mississippi River and create numerous lakes. More than 4,00o reports of quakes since 1974 have been made in the region shown below:

Labels: Illinois, nature, St. Louis

Roger 2 comments 10:58 AM

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Driver hits bicyclist with gun

A Columbia, Mo., man was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of hitting another man in the head with a gun after an apparent traffic dispute, the Columbia Tribune reports.

Nuvan F. Brown, 25, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault and armed criminal action, police said.

A 34-year-old cyclist told police he was riding his bicycle eastbound on Walnut Street between Second and First streets when a van pulled in front of the bicycle, and the victim told police he had to brake quickly to avoid hitting the vehicle. He said he slapped the back window of the van "to let the driver know he was there," according to a Columbia police news release.

The van then drove through the parking lot and cut the man off again on Second Street near Walnut, police said. Brown got out of the van, hit the victim in the head with a handgun and threatened to kill him, police said.

Brown is back on the streets after posting bond.

Labels: Missouri, safety

Roger 0 comments 12:38 AM

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Two rides for worthy causes

In recent days, I've received e-mails about two worthwhile charity rides.

The first is the Ride for World Health. R4WH is a national, nonprofit organization that advocates for improvements in the quality and accessibility of global health care. Each year, by utilizing a cross-country bike ride as a vehicle of communication, R4WH addresses this issue through political advocacy, fundraising and its unique Coast-to-Coast Lecture Series.

The riders currently are in Utah, and they're expected reach the St. Louis area in early May. Dr. Tracy Hall, the leader of the GEARS bicycle club in Greenville, Ill., asked me to pass along this bit of information about the R4WH stop in the Greenville area :

Ride for World Health, a charity cross country bicycle tour, will be stopping
at Greenville First Christian Church (1100 Killarney Drive, Greenville, IL 62246) on Tuesday, May 13, about 1 p.m., on the St. Louis to Kinmundy (Ill.) leg of their trip. The group is made up of doctors, residents and medical students. Please come and have a listen to the short presentation and meet the riders. Some of the GEARS riders are planning on accompanying the riders after the presentation.

R4WH is writing a blog about the journey, and the group is accepting donations.

The second ride is the 2008 Equal Parenting Bike Trek. Starting Aug. 7, five fathers will be biking 758 miles over five days between Lansing, Mich., and Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of a child's fundamental right to be loved, guided, educated and nurtured equally by both fit and willing parents. After the ride, the fathers will speak at the Family Preservation Festival.

Robert Peterson, one of the organizers of the ride, has been pushing bloggers throughout the country to write about this event, and he has done a amazing job in getting the word out. The site says more than 70 blogs throughout the world has written about the event, and now you can count mine among them.

The ride is seeking donations and sponsors for the event, and you can find out more at the ride's Web site.

Labels: charities, cycling, tours

Roger 0 comments 3:00 PM

Monday, April 14, 2008

Charges recommended in fatal California crash

From the San Jose Mercury News:

A report by California Highway Patrol investigators recommends that a Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy face criminal charges for smashing his patrol car into a group of bicyclists, killing two of them.

After a month-long investigation, the CHP is suggesting in the report that the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office file two misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against Deputy James "Tommy" Council, sources told the Mercury News.

If Council were convicted of these charges, the 27-year-old deputy could face up to two years in jail. While no information was available Friday regarding the CHP's rationale for its recommendation, the fact that Council might face misdemeanor charges -- rather than felonies -- suggests investigators do not believe the deputy is guilty of gross negligence such as drunken driving. ... (More)

Prosecutors are reviewing the case.

Labels: fatal accidents

Roger 0 comments 2:32 PM

Saturday, April 12, 2008

On the legislative front

Advocacy groups in Missouri and Illinois have been busy trying to push bicycle-friendly bills through their respective legislatures. Here's a rundown of the activity:

Missouri

The Missouri Bicycle Federation has been pushing a Complete Streets bill. The Missouri House passed the bill overwhelmingly, but it hit a snag in the Senate.

MoBikeFed Executive Director Brent Hugh reports that Missouri Department of Transportation Pete Rahn has voiced his opposition to the bill. Here's an excerpt from the group's blog:

"Although MoDOT's research group had returned a fiscal note indicating the impact of the bill on MoDOT's budget would be $0, Rahn apparently became concerned that the bill would require MoDOT to pay more attention to the needs and safety of bicyclists and pedestrians than it wishes to. The agency could face real consequences for failure to safely accommodate for pedestrians, bicyclists, and people with disabilities, where now it faces none."

Rahn told the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mike Sutherland, that MoDOT would implement what's needed so that the bill isn't needed. MoBikeFed is skeptical. "In great degree thanks to MoDOT policy, Missourians bicycle at less than half the national average," the organization contends.

Here's some other initiatives MoBikeFed is pushing:

DEAD RED FOR BICYCLES AND SAFE PASSING OF BICYCLES PROVISIONS PASS MISSOURI SENATE: SB 761, sponsored by Senator Bill Stouffer, was debated and passed the Missouri Senate on March 26.

The bill includes two important provisions for bicyclists: safe passing (allows cars to pass bicyclists safely even in solid yellow lined "no passing zones") and dead red (allows bicyclists to proceed through a red traffic signal when it is malfunctioning and will not change).

http://mobikefed.org/2008/03/dead-red-for-bicycles-and-safe-passing.php

SAFE STREETS BILL HAS HEARING IN MISSOURI HOUSE; FAMILIES TESTIFY: The "Safe Streets" bill with enhanced penalties for those who injure or kill while driving, had a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on March 26.

Brad Gaunt, son of Larry Gaunt and uncle of Sierra Gaunt, who were killed last summer while bicycling in the Kansas City area, testified about the family's response to that tragedy and the difficulties they have faced in working with the prosecutor's office to get appropriate prosecution in that case.

http://mobikefed.org/2008/03/safe-streets-bill-has-hearing-in.php

BILL INTRODUCED TO ALLOW MISSOURI COUNTIES TO FUND BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES: A bill to allow certain counties to create a county sales tax to fund bicycle and pedestrian facilities has been introduced in the Missouri legislature.

A group of parks officials has worked hard to create and advance this bill. Since it is in MoBikeFed's current Legislative Platform it allows us to come in strongly in support of the bill.

http://mobikefed.org/2008/04/bill-introduced-to-allow-missouri.php

Illinois

The League of Illinois Bicyclists and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation are pushing legislation that would create the offense of infliction of serious physical injury or death to a vulnerable user of a public way. Vulnerable users include bicyclists, pedestrians and highway workers.

Under the bill, a person convicted of operating a vehicle upon a highway in a careless or reckless manner and causing serious physical injury or death to a vulnerable user of a public way would face a minimum $12,500 fine and possible suspension of driving privileges. The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor.

The House and Senate versions of the bill are awaiting action by the full chambers. An amendment also has been proposed in the Senate bill that would add motorcyclists to the list of vulnerable members.

Meanwhile, a task force is continuing its look into creating a negligent vehicular homicide law. The task force is required to issue its report to the General Assembly by July 1. That task force was prompted by the 2006 death of Matt Wilhelm, who was killed by a car driven by a woman downloading a cell phone ring tone in Urbana.

TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENTS AND SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL: Both LIB and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation say problematic funding practices at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) have hindered the creation of safe places for adults and children to walk and bicycle in Illinois. IDOT distributes funds to two key efforts that promote safety and active transportation: bicycle trails and Safe Routes to School, a movement to encourage and enable children to safely walk and bike to school.

The legislation would hold the state more accountable for these funds by requiring that the selection committee’s project criteria and rankings are publicly reported, funding decisions are based solely on project ranking, funding decisions are promptly announced, and public and local government representatives are added to existing selection committees. It would ensure a more predictable and more public funding process, which will encourage more communities and municipalities to take advantage of the funds available to them.

Both the House and Senate unanimously passed their versions of the legislation, and the bills await votes in the opposite chambers.

Labels: advocacy, Illinois, Missouri, safety

Roger 0 comments 11:36 AM

Obama "breaking away" in Indiana

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama decided to bask in the glow of this weekend's Little 500 bicycle race at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

The Associated Press reported that Obama, the junior U.S. senator from Illinois, "waded into Bill Armstrong Stadium on Friday and was greeted by a colorful array of spandex and a raucous student body. The race announcer credited him with bringing the good weather."

Obama climbed to the receiving stand and waved, but he made no remarks, AP reported. He then walked along the edge of the track as students and race participants strained to shake his hand or take his picture. Obama then watched the 32-team, 100-lap women's race.

The Little 500 continues today with the men's race, which was immortalized in the 1979 film "Breaking Away." For those of you who haven't seen the film, do so. It's a classic coming-of-age movie involving four Bloomington friends who wind up racing the Little 500 as the "Cutters," named after the people who worked at limestone quarries surrounding the southern Indiana city.

The Bloomington area also is known as being the home of the Hilly Hundred, one of the Midwest's best bicycle events.

Labels: Indiana, movies, politics

Roger 0 comments 2:14 AM

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

New effort to help the Chief

Friends of Gerry Frierdich are making a push today to get the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" to consider redoing Gerry's Belleville home as part of the show.

Gerry was paralyzed from the chest down in August 2007 when a pickup truck struck his recumbent bicycle on South Green Mount Road in Belleville. Friends of Gerry are putting on a benefit ride on June 1 in Belleville, The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride, and other events to raise money for future medical care and other necessities.

Here's the note I received today from Sandy Gore, one of Gerry's friends who is working extremely hard to raise money for him:

We (Sandy and her husband, Bud) received a call this morning that a casting person from Extreme Makeover Home Edition is in St. Louis today. She will be on KMOX during the Mark Reardon Show. Her interview is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. I have confirmed this information with the station.) From what I understand, Extreme Makeover is looking to do a show in the St. Louisarea for someone who may need help. ...


If you have a chance to listen to the show, please do so. If you can call in and refer Gerry Frierdich (aka Chief), please do so! Bud and I submitted an application to the show in late January, but maybe this is Chief's chance to stand out to get help. Extreme Makeover receives thousands of applications every year. There are a lot of folks out there who need help. Possibly if they hear Chief's name enough from callers, it'll spark an interest in his story and they would help him. ...

(UPDATE: The correct address to send nominations for Extreme Makeover is extremestl@gmail.com.)

Labels: Gerry Frierdich, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 2:53 PM

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Meet the waterboy!

The scene at Mile 24 of the GO! St. Louis Marathon earlier today reminded me of a scene from a Three Stooges movie, the one where Moe cries out for water, not once, not twice, but three times, only to get water dumped on his face.

While there were plenty of cries for water, there wasn't too much too much slapstick humor at the Mile 24 water station.

How did I get to be a water boy? I owed my friend Doug Kaufman a favor. Doug served as a volunteer nine of the first 10 Tour de Stooges bicycle rides, and he needed people to work at the station. Doug is leading a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training for the America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride at Lake Tahoe. While most of the team showed up, he still needed help from me and other friends.

After a quick lesson in how to hold a cup so the runners can grab them without spilling most of the contents, I caught on and only missed a couple of handoffs.

The celebrity at this year's GO! St. Louis Marathon was no other than Kristin Armstrong, the former wife of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Kristin -- shown in a photo from a couple of years ago -- spoke at the pre-race pasta party Saturday night, and she decided to stick around to run the half-marathon.

Unfortunately, I didn't see her in action, but I can tell you how she did. She ran the half-marathon in 1:40:47, good for 478th place overall, 78th place among females and 10th in the 35-39 age division.

It was also cool to see one of my Belleville News-Democrat copy desk colleagues, Steve Mainer, run the event. He ran the full marathon in 3:46:36, good for 397th place overall, 334th place among men and 33rd in the 45-49 division.

Congratulations to all who completed the marathon and the half-marathon today. Anyone who can finish these races deserve all the credit they can get!

Labels: running, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 11:16 PM

Thursday, April 03, 2008

FindMeABicycle.com

I got an e-mail tonight from Portland, Ore., cyclist Barry Hirsch, who has created a Web site designed to help people find a bicycle:

A new Web site, called FindMeABicycle.com, is a great new tool for both experienced and novice bicyclists as they plan their next bicycle purchase. There is nothing for sale on FindMeABicycle.com. Nor is there a fee to use the site. It is simply intended to be a free helpful service for helping you decide on your next bicycle.

FindMeABicycle.com provides two features that you won't find anywhere else: a simple step-by-step check list on how to purchase a bicycle, including a guide that will help the user decide on the ideal type of bike (mountain, road, hybrid, etc.) based on the needs of the user; and comprehensive lists of virtually every type, make and model of bike on the market today. The lists, compiled from more than 100 bike manufacturers, contain information on more than 2,600 bike models. The lists are organized by 15 different types of bike: mountain, road, hybrid,BMX, touring, tandem, recumbent, women's, single speed, youth, track, cruiser, time trial, cyclocross and folding. The lists of bicycle models are further broken down by frame material, suspension system, and price. FindMeABicycle.com won't replace the local bike shop, but will prove to be an extremely valuable resource for anyone who's in the market to buy a bike.

While the site is short on specs for individual bicycles -- I only saw prices, and not for every bike -- it does give some common-sense tips that people buying their first non-department store bicycle should find useful. Hirsch also recommends that people buy their bikes from bike shops.

Labels: bicycles

Roger 0 comments 11:46 PM

Do bicycle helmets do more harm than good?

A new study to be published Friday in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia suggest that bicycle helmets are "detrimental to public health in Australia."

The Australian newspaper reported in its Friday edition that bicycle helmets may in fact increase the risk of serious injury - and laws requiring their use Australia-wide have compounded the problem by deterring people from cycling altogether.

"Experimental studies have shown that in some circumstances, wearing a helmet can increase the rotation of the head (on impact), and that increases angular acceleration of the brain - which is the most damaging factor in brain injury," suggests the study, written by Bill Curnow, president of the Canberra-based Cyclists Rights Action Group.

Curnow's study also suggests that participation in cycling dropped by 50 percent in the two years after the helmet requirement went into effect in Australian jurisdictions.

Not surprisingly, other Australian groups reject those findings. Bicycle Federation of Australia Executive Director Peter Strang said, "We don't accept the view that helmets cause more injuries than they prevent."

My two accidents that landed me in hospital emergency rooms have me convinced that my helmet prevented more serious head injuries. Also, nearly 20 years ago, I saw one of my cycling buddies crash while going down a steep downhill near Elsah, Ill. Despite hitting the rocky side of the road, my buddy escaped with only a minor brain concussion.

I don't know about you, but I'm keeping my helmet on.

Labels: cycling, safety

Roger 1 comments 11:14 PM

Tour de Belleville gets results

Two emergency call towers have been placed on the MetroLink Bike Trail in Belleville, Ill., thanks to more than 1,000 cyclists in the annual Tour se Belleville who helped raise the money last year, the Belleville News-Democrat reported today.

The two call towers are located at McKinley Avenue and in North End Park at North Douglas and North Illinois streets. The towers cost $8,000 each.

"I am so happy the towers are in place," Phil Elmore, co-founder of the Tour de Belleville told the News-Democrat. "I hope they never get used, but it is there in case."

The call towers were in response to an attack on the trail. In August 2006, a woman was jogging on the trail near McKinley Avenue when a man knocked her to the ground, got on top of her, covered her mouth with his hand and grabbed her breast. He let go after she managed to kick him in the groin. Michael W. White, who has no permanent address, was charged Feb. 1 with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery and criminal sexual abuse. His case is pending.

This year's Tour de Belleville will take place Friday, July 11. The goal of this year's ride is to raise money for a stop light to be put at location to be determined where Belleville's bike trail intersects with a busy street. The cost per intersection is $20,000.

The route will be longer this year -- 17 miles -- but there will be bailout points for people who want to do just 6 or 8 miles.

The ride starts at 9 p.m., and there will be a picnic from 6 to 8 p.m. served by Outback Restaurant. The cost of the ride is $15 if you register from May 26 to July 5 and $25 after that. The picnic will cost an additional $5.

The Tour de Bellevile now has a Web site: www.tourdebelleville.com

Labels: Tour de Belleville

Roger 0 comments 10:23 PM

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

It's Opening Day!

Today is Opening Day!

No, not for the St. Louis Cardinals. That already took place.

I'm talking about the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society. Our 2008 season of Wednesday Evening Rides opens at 6 p.m. today at the Metro-East Park and Recreation District offices, 100 United Drive, in Collinsville, Ill. Ride leader Jerry Whittle will be leading us on your choice of routes on the Madison County Transit trail system. All of our Wednesday Evening Rides will be on the MCT trails during the month of April.

Even though it's going to be a touch chilly tonight -- it should be about 50 degrees at 6 p.m., so dress warm -- it will be great to get out with my cycling friends. After the ride, we'll most likely eat at the nearby Culver's Restaurant.

A friend of mine suggested that Jerry throw out the first tube to mark Opening Day. That's not a bad idea!

As for the Cardinals' Opening Day(s), that didn't go so well. All the Opening Day hoopla took place Monday afternoon, the game was called because of rain. The Cardinals and Colorado Rockies reopened the season Tuesday night with the Cardinals going down to defeat 2-1.

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, St. Louis Cardinals

Roger 0 comments 1:26 PM

Come visit my part of the world!

Organizers for the Illinois Great Rivers Ride have announced the tentative route for the 2008 edition of the ride, and it's in an area that I know and love: Southwestern and Southern Illinois!

Here's a breakdown of the ride:

September 6:
Cyclists will gather at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site near Hartford. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began their expedition near the site on May 14, 1804. The visitors center has a museum that does a nice job of telling the story of the expedition. I'll be honest, some of the scenery close to the site isn't the best, but if you have some extra time to ride, you may want to hop on the Madison County Transit trail system for a trip to Alton and the Great River Road or to Edwardsville.

September 7:
The ride begins with a 38-mile trek from Hartford to Columbia, a Monroe County community that has seen lots of growth in recent years. Along the route is Cahokia, which was originally settled by the French in 1699. Cahokia has three significant historic attractions: the Holy Family Log Church, which was dedicated in 1799; the Cahokia Courthouse, which was built in 1740 and is the only courthouse surviving from Illinois' territorial days; and the Jarrot Mansion, the oldest surviving brick building in Illinois.

Ride organizers haven't posted exact details about the route, but I would be somewhat concerned if they took the ride on Illinois Route 3 through Venice, Brooklyn and East St. Louis. There are considerable cycling and personal safety issues with that road. Instead, I would recommend they cross the Mississippi River on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, take the Riverfront Trail to downtown St. Louis, then cross the Eads Bridge back into Illinois.

September 8:
This is another short day, from Columbia to the Fort de Chartes State Historic Site near Prairie du Rocher. The French used Fort de Chartes from the 1750s until 1771 to protect the Illinois territory, and the fort has been partly rebuilt. The route between Columbia and fort will take cyclists past scenic bluffs that tower over the Mississippi River valley.

The one downside this day is riding through Monroe County, which is not known as being bicycle friendly. Cyclists who don't follow the rules of the road are partly to blame for some of the problems, but so are local residents who overreacted to the situation. My experience has been that if you follow the rules of the road and practice some common courtesy, you should be fine. Hopefully, ride organizers are aware of Monroe County's group ride ordinance, which requires a permit for group rides of more than 50 people.

September 9:
The ride continues 61 miles from Fort de Chartes to Grand Tower, which gets its name from an unusual rock ridge that runs along the Mississippi River. Along the route is the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site, which preserves the remains of Fort Kaskaskia, and the Pierre Menard home, the home of Illinois' first lieutenant governor. Kaskaskia was the first state capital of Illinois, and the Menard home is the only remaining building from the original community. Flooding caused the Mississippi River to change its course and destroyed the original town, including the first state capitol.

The route also goes through Chester, which is noted for having a statue of Popeye overlooking the Mississippi River. Why would Chester have a statue of Popeye? It's the hometown of Popeye creator Elzie C. Segar.

September 10:
The 60-mile route goes from Grand Tower to Vienna. The first thing to know about Vienna: It's pronounced VYE-en-na in Southern Illinois. The route will go through a piece of scenic Shawnee National Forest, Illinois' only national forest. If you think Illinois is flat, Shawnee National Forest will prove you wrong.

September 11:
Organizers say the 30-mile route from Vienna to Giant City State Park promises to be the hilliest day of the ride, and I think they're right. The Bicycle Across the Magnificent Miles of Illinois ride I did back in 1985 used a lot of the roads that likely will be used on this ride, but the scenery is worth the work you'll be doing on the hills. You'll be seeing more of Shawnee National Forest.

September 12:
The ride begins to level out again with a 67-mile trek from Giant City State Park to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta. The complex is the home of several sharpshooting events.

September 13:
The 67-mile route takes you from Sparta and back through the metro-east into Hartford. Without knowing the exact route, I can't fill you on more details, but much of the route should be fairly flat, yet scenic. If you ride fast enough, you should be able to hop in your car and watch the end of Stage 6 of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race in St. Charles, Mo. If you can stick around another day, you can see the final stage in St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 14.

The cost of the ride is $600 and includes breakfast and dinner each day, evening receptions and entertainment and camping fees.

I won't be able to do the entire ride because I can't get the full week off, but I most certainly invite you to see some of the most historic and scenic parts of the Land of Lincoln.

Labels: bicycle rides, Illinois

Roger 0 comments 1:20 PM

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Cyclists see green -- and they're furious!

In the wake of the green bike boxes in Portland, Ore., here's an item I recently ran across from Great Britain:

Cyclists furious as council paint
everything else luminous green

Cyclists in Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire, UK) have reacted angrily to a decision by town planners to make buildings, trees, street furniture and the road itself much easier to see by painting them all luminous green. The decision follows a number of near misses where pedestrians almost bumped into street furniture or large buildings and then threatened to sue the council on the grounds that they should be more clearly marked. ...

But local cyclists are furious at the plan that has made them the same colour as their immediate surroundings. "We’ve all spent a fortune on these luminous jackets, trousers and cycle clips" said local cyclist Mark Randle. "Suddenly our hi-visibility cycling gear has turned into the most effective camouflage available. Now we’re completely invisible." Read more ...

A tip of the hat to St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation forum letting me know about this development.

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

Roger 0 comments 2:21 PM