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News, commentary and humor about bicycling and other topics of the day

 

St. Louis police to watch out for naked bike riders

Police have issued a warning to organizers of Saturday night's St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride that cyclists who bare it all risk the possibility of being arrested.

KTVI-TV, Channel 2, reported Thursday that it's against the law to show private parts in public. Co-organizer Mariah Pittman says organizers will warn cyclists of the possibility they'll be subject to arrest, but that they will be encouraged to ride as "bare as they dare."

Not surprisingly, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered the story in more depth on a story posted Friday morning. It also published a preview of the event Thursday. Somehow, I'm not surprised a story about the World Naked Bike Ride is the top e-mailed story at the Post-Dispatch's Web site, stltoday.com.

Mariah pushed the ride's agenda of protesting oil dependency and promoting a comfortable body image during her interview. The segment also includes interviews with a couple of locals, including one who finds the ride "offensive, very offensive" because of the families who frequent Tower Grove Park, where the ride begins.

Speaking of which, the ride is slated to begin at 9 p.m. at Tower Grove Park's pool pavilion. Body painting will take place starting at 7 p.m. at a more discrete section of the park, according to the organizer's blog. The route will tour parts of South St. Louis and downtown before heading to the Atomic Cowboy club at 4140 Manchester Ave. in St. Louis.

There's no doubt that organizers and participants hope they won't get a raw deal from St. Louis police.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 11:53 PM

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Greg LeMond speaks out about abuse

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond will speak to a public audience for the the first time about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child, the Kansas City Star reports.

LeMond will give the keynote speech Aug. 7 at a fundraiser for the Sunflower House in Kansas City, Kan. Sunflower House works to protect and support child victims of sexual abuse in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

LeMond managed to keep the abuse a secret until the May 2007 arbitration hearing for Floyd Landis, the 2006 winner of the Tour de France who had been stripped of his title after tests indicated he had used testosterone.

At that hearing, LeMond testified he had urged Landis to come clean about any drug use. He told Landis about the abuse. Later, he received a phone call from Landis’ business manager threatening to reveal it if LeMond testified.

In the article, Lemond talks in detail about the abuse. Here's a brief excerpt:

To this day, LeMond says his memories of the abuse are hazy. For years he blocked out the details. He was 11 or 12.

“I do remember when it first happened. … It was a family friend.”

The man, LeMond said at the hearing, was named Ron. He was a pal of LeMond’s father. The family lived in Nevada. His father was in real estate. The friend was 17 years older than LeMond.

“He would ski with us at Lake Tahoe,” LeMond recalled. “He was literally like an uncle.”

Ron visited numerous times and would sleep in the extra bed in LeMond’s room. He showed LeMond pornography. It excited the young boy.

Then one night, everything changed. LeMond was asleep.

“Before I knew it, he did something to me that I never knew about,” LeMond said.

Reporter Eric Adler did an excellent job with the phone interview, in which LeMond described how the abuse affected him as a teen and an adult. I encourage you to read the story.

I know there are people out there who don't particularly like LeMond, in large part because of his criticism of 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. But in my view, LeMond's 1986, 1989 and 1990 Tour de France victories did much to expose Americans to the sport of cycling and paved the way for Armstrong and other American cyclists to succeed on the pro cycling circuit.

Labels: cycling, Greg LeMond, Kansas City, racing

Roger 2 comments 11:12 PM

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Bicycle-motorist showdown in Colorado

The Belleville News-Democrat subscribes to the Washington Post-Los Angeles Times news service, and I happened to come across this Los Angeles Times article tonight about problems between cyclists and motorists in Larimer County, Colo.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

A lawman stopped two visitors on a quiet county road and warned them that their behavior wouldn't be tolerated in these parts.

Their transgression: riding their two-wheeled steeds side-by-side instead of falling into single file when an automobile approached.

"Don't let the sun set on your behind in my county" is how the cyclists heard the deputy's warning.

Or maybe he said, "If you stay in Dodge, be prepared to follow the rules or suffer the consequences," as the sheriff would later say.

Either way, they were fighting words that shook a fragile truce between Colorado motorists and bicyclists and raised anew the question of whether the two groups can coexist on the state's roads.

Some residents have grown weary of cyclists who fill the roads every weekend, said Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden.

"Don't you just love this time of year, when the birds, boats and cyclists come out? Well, two out of three ain't bad," Alderden said in his May 20 column on the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Web site.

As in most states -- including Illinois and Missouri -- Colorado law allows cyclists to ride two abreast, as long as they don't impede the normal flow of traffic.

In the May 20 column, Alderden wrote: "We have been receiving complaints about cyclists hogging the road in the southern part of the county so we have stepped up our presence. Not surprisingly, many of these cyclists cop an attitude when stopped. Also not surprising, many of the cyclists with attitudes are part of the Boulder cycling community."

Alderden's department interprets the law as saying cyclists should ride single file when a vehicle approaches. Bicycle advocates disagree.

It's OK for a car to drive around two cyclists, just as they might for a slow-moving farm vehicle, state Sen. Greg Brophy, the author of the Colorado law, told the Times. "I don't believe it's unreasonable for a car to come off cruise control," he said.

Given recent problems with jury verdicts, the attitudes of some motorists and vandalism that flattened tires in Iowa and Missouri, it looks like those of us who are bicycle advocates have a lot of work to do.

Labels: advocacy, Colorado, safety

Roger 1 comments 12:07 AM

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Notes along the Katy Trail

Here's a collection of items about the Katy Trail you may find of interest:

CARL EDWARDS RIDES THE KATY TRAIL: Before NASCAR driver Carl Edwards won last Saturday's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., he spent three days riding the Katy Trail from his hometown of Columbia, Mo.

I didn't write about it last week because I thought Dave Luecking of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did a nice job of covering the ride on the newspaper's 10 Speed and Left Turns blogs. Dave accompanied Carl for 30 miles of his trek. Numerous other NASCAR bloggers have written about the ride.

The Memphis Commerical Appeal also picked up on Carl's Katy Trail adventure in its Friday editions. Despite Carl's fame on the NASCAR circuit, he was able to visit a pool in Washington, Mo., and a Sav-a-Lot store in Hermann in relative obscurity.

"We were a pack of sweaty guys on bicycles, we walk in there, sugar-depleted, buying bananas and Gummi Bears in the checkout line," Carl told the Commercial Appeal. "I saw they were going to have a show car at the store on Sunday. I said, 'Oh, so you are going to have a car here?' They were like, 'Sure,' and we talked about it for a while and no one recognized me. And there were pictures of me everywhere.

"The Save-a-Lot standups are smaller than I am, which throws them off at the store. 'You look like Carl, except you're taller, isn't that funny?'"

BICYCLEWORKS MARATHON ON KATY TRAIL: On Friday morning, volunteers from the St. Louis-based BicycleWORKS began a marathon on the 225-mile Katy Trail. Their goal was to start from St. Charles, Mo., and ride for as long as possible without sleeping 30 or more minutes. BicycleWORKS challenged people to donate 25 cents a mile. Even though the ride already started -- and may have ended -- I'm sure BicycleWORKS would appreciate a donation.

BicycleWORKS was founded in 1988 by a Shaw Neighborhood resident who saw the need to provide area youth with the opportunity to develop a skill and to challenge them to test the limits of their abilities. This vision combined with the universal appeal of the bicycle became the building block of this innovative organization.

BicycleWORKS is the first St. Louis program to use the bicycle as a vehicle to teach youth responsibility and good work habits. Its programs are structured and work-intensive. BicycleWORKS combines vocational training with educational enrichment and challenging physical and mental activity.

FULL ARTICLE ON MY KATY TRAIL RIDE NOW ONLINE: Last month, I rode most of the Katy Trail as part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resource's Katy Trail Ride. I recently posted the full account, complete with photos.

Although I had a few foibles on this ride, I hope I've balanced that out with the photos of interesting sights along the trail as well as positive remarks about the trail and the way DNR ran the ride.

Labels: bicycle rides, Carl Edwards, Katy Trail, Web site

Roger 0 comments 10:55 AM

Friday, July 25, 2008

More tackiness in bicycling

While the tacks that flattened hundreds of tires Wednesday on RAGBRAI got lots of ink because of the massive nature of the Iowa ride, a bicycle race near Columbia, Mo., also fell victim to vandals last week .

The Columbia Tribune reported this week that a dozen of the 50 participants in the Missouri Show-Me State Games bicycle race last Saturday. The flat tires took place on Route DD near Hatton in Callaway County.

"These are people in the state who want to go out and improve their health and get more into exercise," race organizer Raymond Sapp told the Tribune. "And then somebody comes out and tries to hurt them by throwing tacks in the road. It’s sad."

Unfortunately, these punks who threw the tacks in Missouri probably have no idea their actions could seriously injure someone. Let's hope these knuckleheads are stupid enough to brag about their tacky feat and someone reports it to law enforcement.

Labels: Missouri, racing, safety

Roger 0 comments 12:18 AM

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Everything's just peachy!

With apologies to The Presidents of The USA, I'm gonna ride out in the country and I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches!

And you can, too!

Both of the St. Louis-area's main bicycling groups, the Gateway Council of Hostelling International and Trailnet, have Peach Pedal rides this weekend.

The Gateway Council's Peach Pedal takes place this Saturday and Sunday (July 26-27) at Eckert's Country Store, 951 S. Green Mount Road in Belleville, Ill. Sign-in both days take place from 8:30 to 11 a.m., and the cost of the ride is $15 for HI-USA members, $20 for non-members and $10 for children. The fee covers both days, so you can ride Saturday and Sunday. After the ride, you can enjoy a free frozen custard cone at Eckert's.

Trailnet's Bicycle Fun Club's Peach Pedal takes place Sunday (July 27) at Mills' Apple Farm, 11477 Pocahontas Road near Marine, Ill. Sign-in takes place from 7:30 to 9 a.m., and the cost of the ride is $8 for members, $12 for non-members and $3 for children.

No matter which ride you choose, there will be plenty of peaches to buy this year in the metro-east. Last year, the metro-east peach crop was nearly destroyed by a hard April freeze, but Eckert's says there are plenty of large peaches to be had this year. This year’s cool, wet spring delayed the season by a week to 10 days. But that same delay has made the fruit larger than in typical years, an Eckert's spokesman says.

I don't know if there's millions of peaches at the two metro-east orchards, but there should be plenty for you!

Labels: Belleville, bicycle rides, Illinois

Roger 1 comments 3:47 PM

Ha, ha, very funny ... NOT! Tacks flatten tires at RAGBRAI

Some slackers desperate for laughs decided it would be really hilarious to throw tacks on a country road near Nevada, Iowa.

Well, dozens -- if not hundreds -- of participants on RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, aren't laughing. And neither am I.

Scores of RAGBRAI bicyclists had to detour to repair trailers Wednesday morning after pranksters spread tacks across Story County Road E41 -- an old alignment of the historic Lincoln Highway -- outside Nevada, the Des Moines Register reported. Nevada is about eight miles east of Ames, the home of Iowa State University.

"We changed 100 easily, and we didn't even do them all," bike shop owner Tom Letsche told the Register while pointing to a pile of inner tubes next to his equipment van.

Officials eventually managed to clear the tacks, but not before cyclists spent hundreds of dollars to buy new tubes at $5 a pop. The Register story did not mention whether there were any suspects.

Here's links to Des Moines TV station's coverage of the flat tire debacle:

• Story
• Video

Labels: Iowa, tours

Roger 2 comments 11:11 AM

Monday, July 21, 2008

Rules of the Road

Over the couple of weeks, I've been doing a lot of thinking about cyclists and their obligations to follow the rules of the road. One of the reasons why I do a lot of thinking about things like that is my role in leading one of the St. Louis area's largest group rides, the Tour de Stooges, and other smaller rides for the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society.

Here's what got me thinking:

• A post over on Gene Bisbee's BikingBis blog about the Cascade Bicycle Club issuing "traffic tickets" to participants on the Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic on July 12-13.
• The riding habits of some cyclists on Tour de Donut in Staunton, Ill., on July 12.
• An article by Dean Schott of the League of Illinois Bicyclists about the recent rise in bicycle fatalities in the state.
• And, finally, an article at MSNBC titled "Deadly Tension on the Roads: Cars vs. Bikes."

Gene reported a while back that Cascade Bicycle Club Executive Director Chuck Ayers said one of the biggest complaints from motorists, staff and other cyclists during STP has been about participants who don't follow the rules of the road. To curb the problems, the club had patrols looking for cyclists disobeying the rules of the road and issuing $25 "tickets" with the money going to the group's education foundation.

"Those tickets don't carry the force of law, of course," Gene wrote. "They do imply, however, that your peers on the bike ride think you're riding like a jerk and you need to pay attention."

The Cascade Bicycle Club also has been pushing a "Single File Is Safer" program this year. The club contends riding single file ultimately is better for cyclists and motorists because it means cyclists don't have to go three or more abreast to pass slower riders and motorists can more easily pass a single-file line of cyclists than groups of two or more abreast.

That leads to what I saw on the Tour de Donut. The Tour de Donut is a unique situation because of the mass start. Cyclists receive a police escort through Staunton at the start of the race, but the problems become evident when they turn off Illinois Route 4 onto Renken Road toward Prairietown, the first donut stop.

Groups of three to five cyclists often take up the entire lane, forcing faster cyclists to cross the yellow line to get around them. Even when a slower cyclist is riding alone, he or she often takes the middle of the lane, making it difficult for people to pass him or her.

Before the start, I heard Boeing Employee's Bicycle Club President Dave Sweeney try to tell riders before the start of the ride that the roads beyond Staunton were not closed to motorists, but I don't know how many people actually heard him.

Most of the local motorists know about the Tour de Donut and adjust their driving with the realization there are going to be lots of cyclists on the road that day. Also, the club and its volunteers from the Staunton area do a great job of monitoring the key intersections. Still, I wonder if we can make things a bit safer for everyone by following the rules of the road and keeping in mind it is illegal to ride more than two abreast on nearly all Illinois roads.

That leads us to the recent League of Illinois Bicyclists article. Here how it starts out:

The headlines have not been good for bicyclists this spring in Illinois. The recent rash of bicycle fatalities has us all alarmed about our safety on the roads.

My words of advice for bicyclists are twofold: Obey the traffic laws and expect the unexpected from motorists.

Some of us consider stop signs and traffic lights nuisances which can be ignored. Besides it being the law, bicyclists should stop at signs so that they can see oncoming traffic and the traffic can see us before proceeding safely through an intersection. ...

When riding in groups, bicyclists should not ride three or more abreast, blocking traffic, which can fuel the road rage of motorists. In heavy traffic, cyclists should ride in single file to let motorists pass safely and avoid bottlenecks.

Finally, the MSNBC story talks about how bicycling has become a more popular mode of transportation because of high gasoline prices. Here's a brief excerpt from that story:

Experts welcome the trend for all of the reasons you might expect: Transportation planners like that fewer cars clog the nation’s highways. Environmental activists like that fewer tons of greenhouse emissions are pumped into the atmosphere every rush hour. Doctors like to see more people pedaling off more pounds. But in the months since motorists began pedaling in droves, it has become clear that all those cyclists on the streets pose a significant problem: all those cyclists on the streets.

“I believe it’s definitely going to cause some problems, because people don’t know how to share the road with cyclists,” said Kirk Hendricks, director of advocacy for the group Idaho Cycling Enthusiasts. “[Drivers] need to know that we have as much right as an automobile even though we’re not as big.”

But the article goes on to say that bicycle accidents are on the rise. For example, New Jersey reported 12 bicycle fatalities in all of 2007. So far this year, that state has had 11 bicycle deaths.

Pam Fischer, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, told MSNBC "in almost every case, the bicycle was doing something that put them at significant risk.”

As I've said before, and I'll say it again, cyclists and motorists share equal responsibility for knowing the rules of the road. Although I try to educate cyclists of the rules of the road on the Tour de Stooges map, I often wonder how I and the rest of the cycling community can do a better job of getting the word out.

For those of you who live in Illinois and Missouri, here's a couple of resources:

• League of Illinois Bicyclists' Illinois Bicycle Laws Card (PDF file)
• St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation
  

Labels: advocacy, League of Illinois Bicyclists, safety, Tour de Donut

Roger 0 comments 11:37 PM

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Tour de Donut results finally up

Just moments ago, I checked out the Tour de Donut Web site and the results for the 20th annual event are finally online from last Saturday's event in Staunton, Ill. In case you're wondering, here's the adjusted time adjusted time winners, the people I consider the true winners of the Tour de Donut:

• Men's 40-under: Bradley (Steven) Meinke, 33 donuts, -0:25:06
• Men's 40-49: Steve Stryker, 20 donuts, 0:20:13
• Men's 50-over: Dave Atchinson, 29 donuts, 0:16:41
• Women's 50-under: Lucy Robbins, 12 donuts, 0:59:28
• Women's 40-49: Lisa Kaplan, 11 donuts, 1:16:47
• Men's 50-older: Patricia Gross, 3 donuts, 1:22:49
• Tandem: John Casper and Kyle Jones, 31 donuts, -0:22:32

The unadjusted times are up as well. A trio of male riders led by Mike Wilkening did the 32-mile in 1:17:42, while the fastest woman, Jennifer Norton, did it in 1:22:16 to win the equivalent of the Tour de France's green jersey.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Labels: Tour de Donut

Roger 1 comments 12:55 AM

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tour of Missouri adds women's criterium

The Tour of Missouri already has grown from a six-day to a seven-day event in just one year. If that wasn't enough, the Tour of Missouri is adding a women's criterium race to the mix.

The women's race will take place Monday, Sept. 8 in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. The race will be a 55-minute plus 5-laps event slated to start at 1:30 p.m.

"Starting while Stage 1 of the men's event is underway, the Tour of Missouri Women's Criterium will showcase the speed and energy of the women's professional circuit while building excitement and anticipation for the hard-charging finishing circuits of the men's race," according to the race's Web site.

Stage 1 of the men's race is slated to begin in St. Joseph on Sept. 8 and ends at Country Club Plaza.

In case you haven't visited the Tour of Missouri site for a while, you will notice Armadillo Xing T-shirts for sale. For $18, you can own your own T-shirt and "help keep the armadillos at bay."

The shirt recalls the unfortunate accident during the 2007 Tour of Missouri that knocked St. Louis-area native Dan Schmatz from the race. Schmatz tumbled to the ground after hitting the armadillo, fracturing his collarbone.

Labels: racing, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 7:33 PM

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Driver acquitted in deaths of Kansas City-area cyclists

A Jackson County, Mo., jury deliberated for five hours before finding William K. Johnson not guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of cyclists Larry Gaunt, 59, and Larry's grandaughter, Sierra Gaunt, 14, the Kansas City Star reported in today's editions.

On Aug. 6, Larry Gaunt was helping Sierra prepare for an MS-150 bike ride, a long-distance ride that benefits victims of multiple sclerosis. The two were cycling on Raytown Road nearing Harry Truman Drive when Johnson’s blue 1985 Chevrolet pickup slammed into their bikes, throwing them to the pavement. Larry Gaunt died at the scene. Sierra died at a hospital.

According to the Star's story, prosecutors considered Johnson's action reckless enough to be considered at tim. They pointed to police calculations that determined that Johnson was going at least 54 mph in a 45 mph zone. They called witnesses who testified that the road was flat, straight and dry. They continually went back to evidence that showed the left lane next to Johnson was completely clear.

A portion of the Star's account is particularly interesting:

That’s what baffled assistant prosecutor Traci Stansell. When Johnson took the witness stand Wednesday, he said he often drove that stretch of road. He knew cyclists frequented it, he said.

He was 960 feet — more than three football fields — away from the Gaunts when he first saw them. And more than 12 seconds passed before he caught up to them. Yet Johnson, a handyman who was taking his son to football practice, agreed that he never moved into the open left lane and never slowed down until slamming on his brakes right before the impact.

Just because Johnson did not move over, that did not make him a criminal, defense attorney Brian Greer argued.

“There is no law requiring operators of motor vehicles to switch lanes of a roadway when there is a vehicle on the shoulder except when that vehicle is law enforcement,” he told jurors.

Greer questioned much of the state’s evidence, especially calculations by police that determined Johnson was speeding. During closing arguments, the Star reported, he said the state took wrong measurements and failed to consider the truck’s weight when computing its minimum speed.

The jury forewoman told the Star that deliberations were divided at times, and that jurors discussed a lesser charge, but came to the unanimous decision on acquittal. When asked what they relied on to reach that decision, she said: “The evidence that we had.”

The Star's story has generated 11 pages of comments as of noon. Most are supportive of the Gaunts, but there are some anti-bike comments thrown in the mix.

The KCBike.Info blog had this to say about the verdict: "Many people will be shocked and upset at the verdict, but it’s important to remember that this case was brought to justice. Unlike most cases in this area, this particular motorist was actually charged with a felony and went to trial. Regardless of the outcome, just the fact that it went to trial is huge step forward for traffic justice in Kansas City."

This afternoon, the Missouri Bicycle Federation made a statement about the verdict on its Web site. It contains interesting comments from Ken Cobb, a lawyer and avid bicyclist who is active in the Johnson County (Kan.) Bicycle Club, including this one: "We don't know if any cyclists were on the jury. We also know that a certain percentage of people don't think that cyclists should be on streets in the first place, which may have been a factor in the jury room, too."

In an earlier post on the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation's message board, MoBikeFed Executive Director Brent Hugh said: " I know many of you have been following this case. The verdict shows how far we have to go in Missouri to have a justice system that can address this type of issue."

Here's links to TV coverage of the verdict:

• KSHB-TV, Channel 41
• KCTV, Channel 5
• myfoxkc.com
  

Labels: advocacy, fatal accidents, Kansas City, Missouri, safety

Roger 2 comments 12:20 PM

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Eat out tomorrow and help the Tour de Belleville

If you live in or near the metro-east and want to go out to dinner Wednesday night, consider going to the Chevy's Restaurant at 1305 Central Parkway Drive in O'Fallon, Ill., and help out the Tour de Belleville and its goal of installing signal lights on key intersections on the city's bike paths.

From 4 to 10 p.m., Chevy's will be giving 15% of each person's bill to the Tour de Belleville -- if you bring (or ask for at the hostess desk) the Tour de Belleville flier (Word document). By showing up and eating you are automatically in a drawing for one of four Gas Cards to be given away courtesy of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville and the Tour de Belleville.

The Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society will be going there after our Wednesday Evening Ride, which also happens to be in O'Fallon. In case you're interested in riding with us, we'll meet at the "Caboose" parking lot at 6:15 p.m. and take off on routes of 14 to 26 miles at 6:30.

Last Friday's Tour de Belleville drew 1,362 registered riders to the streets of Belleville, according to the Belleville News-Democrat story published Saturday.

Labels: Tour de Belleville

Roger 0 comments 7:14 PM

Monday, July 14, 2008

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge's financial struggle

Funding cutbacks for the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge have Madison Mayor John Hamm concerned, the Granite City Press-Record reports. Trailnet officials recently had told the mayor that it didn't have enough money to pay the Madison Police Department to open and close the bridge. He said it had threatened to close the bridge except on special occasions.

On June 23, Trailnet curtailed the bridge's hours: "Due to funding limitations, the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge will be open between 9 a.m. and dusk until further notice. When the bridge is closed, please use the McKinley Bridge to cross the Mississippi River."

Last week, Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack addressed the Madison City Council about the financial concerns. Here's an excerpt from the Press-Record story:

In an interview later, she that the shortfall occurred after funding from Great Rivers Greenway, a publicly funded park district which services St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, dried up.

Mack said Trailnet receives less than 12 percent of its funding from public sources and that the organization has received money from federal earmarks in the past.

Mack said Trailnet would be talking with local shareholders about the importance of keeping the bridge open within four to six weeks.

Hamm said it's important the bridge stay open because grants that the city received to improve the Illinois parking lot were tied to the bridge staying open.

The city of Madison owns the bridge, and Trailnet leases the bridge from the city. The bridge was constructed in 1929 and once carried Route 66 across the Mississippi River. Madison had operated the bridge as a toll bridge from 1939 to 1968, when the nearby Interstate 270 bridge took away too much traffic for the bridge to remain profitable.

Trailnet has had other problems with the bridge in recent years, most notably with car break-ins at the Missouri parking lot. Because of that, the Missouri parking lot now is open only for special events. Otherwise, people who drive cars to the bridge have to park either at North Riverfront Park, about 1.4 miles south of the bridge, or at the Illinois parking lot on Chouteau Island. Much of the Riverfront Trail on the Missouri side of the river remains closed because of cleanup from the recent flooding.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation also has reported on this issue, also citing the Press-Record story.

Labels: Illinois, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis, Trailnet

Roger 1 comments 12:31 PM

Doing the Land of Lincoln proud!

Yes, indeed, Christian Vande Velde is the pride of the Land of Lincoln, as far as the cycling world is concerned!

Vande Velde, a native of the Chicago suburb of Lemont, is just 38 seconds behind new Tour de France leader Cadel Evans after today's Stage 10, which featured the difficult climbs of the Col de Tourmalet and Hautacam. Evans and Vande Velde finished in the same group that finished 2:17 behind stage winner Leonardo Piepoli. The only rider between Vande Velde and Evans is Frank Schleck, who is a mere second behind Evans in the overall standings.

Vande Velde, 32, rides for Garmin-Chipotle and is the son of U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame member John Vande Velde. Until this year, he was best known for playing a supporting role in two of Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France victories. He has come into his own this year. He wore the maglia rosa one day in this year's Giro d'Italia, took third in the Tour of California and seventh in the Tour of Georgia.

Now that Vande Velde is among the leaders, I guess we need to figure out how to spell his last name. Even though the official Tour de France site and Versus are spelling it Vandevelde, I'm going with Vande Velde because that's the way the Garmin-Chipotle team, The Associated Press, VeloNews and his byline on his Tour de France Journal in the Chicago Tribune (I'm linking to the account that appeared in today's edition) spell it. That's good enough for me!

Labels: Illinois, racing, Tour de France

Roger 0 comments 10:42 AM

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Tour de Donut: DNF

DNF

Those are the most disappointing letters for a cyclist, whether it be in the Tour de France or, in my case, the Tour de Donut.

Because of a defective tire on my sister's tandem bike that we were unable to repair, my nephew, Julius Parod, and I had to abandon this year's 20th annual Tour de Donut in Staunton, Ill. We ate 12 donuts between us -- a half-dozen each at the Prairietown donut stop -- before the tire disaster struck.

Just before we were set to turn off Prairietown Road onto Possom Hill Road, we noticed the rear tire was starting to go flat. I tried to put a new tube into tire, but I found a way to break the stem as I was inflating the tire. Fortunately for us, the support vehicle from The Cyclery bicycle shop in Edwardsville pulled up.

While the mechanical installed the near rear tube, I tried to inflate the front tire, which also seemed a bit low. In a matter of seconds after I removed the pump, the front tube blew ... another job for the mechanic!

Julius and I were now at the back of the race, but as we took off, we noticed a sickening thump in the front tire. I was able to deflate the tube before we lost another tube, but we knew our day was done. The sidewall of the tire had given out. With great disappointment, we accepted a ride back to Staunton.

Our goal was to eat at least 24 donuts today, but as things turned out, that wouldn't have been enough to win. John Casper and Kyle Jones, both of Springfield, Ill., won the tandem division by eating 31 donuts between them. With the 5-minute time bonus given for each donut eaten, they had a adjusted time of negative-23 minutes!

Steven Meinke successfully defended his Tour de Donut title in the men's under-40 division by eating 33 donuts, six more than last year! I didn't catch who won the women's divisions or the other men's divisions.

Steven was the man who appeared in the documentary about the ride, "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment," and said the classic line "this is disgusting ... disgustingly beautiful" while jamming three donuts together and swallowing them.

Because of the huge number of registrants -- more than 950 people signed up for this year's Tour de Donut and more than 920 people actually started the race -- the Boeing Employee's Bicycle Club decided to create under-40, 40-49 and 50-and-older divisions for men and women. The number of registrants set an event record, more than 200 people above the previous record.

Other than the tire disaster, it was a glorious day for the Tour de Donut! As a founding father of the ride -- along with Mark Pace, Joe Booth and Ed Taylor -- I'm still amazed that the ride is still around and still growing!

By the way, the Boeing club hopes to have the full results posted on the ride's Web site sometime next week.

Labels: Tour de Donut

Roger 1 comments 3:07 PM

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Tour de Belleville safety tips

For the third straight year, I offer these tips for those of you who are planning to do the Tour de Belleville tomorrow night. These tips can be put to use on other big nighttime rides such as the L.A.T.E. Ride this weekend in Chicago or the Moonlight Ramble on Aug. 16-17 in St. Louis:

Tips for newbies:

• If you're a slower rider, try to ride as far to the right as safely possible so faster riders can pass you. If you have to walk up a hill, walk your bike as far to the right as safely possible.
  
• Groups of cyclists should not take up the entire lane, again so other people can pass.
• If you plan to stop, be sure to give some type of warning. At a minimum, give a verbal warning such as "braking" or "stopping." It's also a good idea to give a hand signal by extending your left hand toward the ground. For a good illustration of that, download the Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road (pdf file).
• If you're stopping for an extended period of time, pull off the road so other cyclists can pass safely.
• Use your gears. Most new cyclists tend to use a gear that's too big for them. Find a gear where you feel comfortable riding 60 to 90 pedal strokes a minute. When you approach a hill, you probably want to shift to a lower gear before you start climbing.
  
• Above all, ride at a pace that's comfortable for you. The Tour de Belleville is not a race, so don't get tempted to ride at a faster speed than you're used to just because you want to keep up with other people.

Tips for experienced riders:

• Be patient with the less experienced riders. Remember that you once were an inexperienced rider yourself.
• Ride defensively. When approaching a family with young children, give yourself plenty of room to get around them because you never know when someone will suddenly veer to the left or right.
• Use caution on hills. There's a good chance someone will try to climb a hill only to run out of gas and suddenly stop. Give yourself plenty of room to maneuver around them.
• Slow down. This is not the time for a 20-25 mph training ride and long pacelines. Events like the Tour de Belleville are meant for fun, so slow down and smell the roses.
• Be a good ambassador. The way you behave will influence whether a newcomer will stick with the sport.

Good luck, have fun and ride safe!

Labels: safety, Tour de Belleville, tours

Roger 0 comments 8:33 PM

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

World Naked Bike Ride coming to St. Louis

Trends always are a bit slow in coming to St. Louis -- mullets remain a popular hair style in pockets of the St. Louis area -- but the city is getting its version of the World Naked Bike Ride.

The St. Louis edition of the World Naked Bike Ride is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, at the city's Tower Grove Park. The ride is slated to begin at 9 p.m. at the park's Pool Pavilion near the north entrance at Tower Grove Avenue and Magnolia Street. The route is not complete as of yet. If you have any suggestions of where you'd like to go, shoot organizers Stephanie Co and Mariah Pittman an e-mail at nakedbikestl@gmail.com.

The goals of the World Naked Bike Ride are to protest oil dependency, promote comfortable body image, increase awareness of cyclists in a motor-driven world and provide exercise and fun for all those who participate.

Anybody can participate, including children, the organizers say. Bikers are encouraged to go as "bare as you dare." It is not mandatory to go completely naked, though encouraged. In fact, participants can come fully clothed if they wish. Body paint -- a body painting "bonanza" will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at the park -- and other creative body coverings are encouraged, as are helmets and other protective biking gear. Also, if you would like to participate without a bike, any sort of transportation that is not a car (i.e. skates, skateboards) can be used.

To promote the event, St. Louis organizers will be hosting a screening of the movie "Indecent Exposure to Cars: The Story of the World Naked Bike Ride" at 9 p.m. July 26 at the Community Arts & Media Project center at 3022A Cherokee St. in St. Louis Donations of $1-2 dollars for cyclists and walkers and $3-5 for drivers are requested, or body paint in place of dollars.

You can see a trailer of the movie over at YouTube. The trailer has mild bits of nudity, although probably nothing worse than you've seen on network TV.

Am I going to the World Naked Bike Ride? Probably not. One, I probably have to work that night. Two, I'm simply not that comfortable with my body image!

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 12:53 PM

Monday, July 07, 2008

Will Frischkorn? Who's he?

I was surprised to see this morning that American racer and Tour de France rookie Will Frischkorn not only came in second in today's Stage 3, but is sitting in third place in the general classification.

If that wasn't enough, Frischkorn was named the most aggressive rider of the stage, and his American-based squad, Team Garmin-Chipotle, is leading the team classsification.

Just who is Will Frischkorn?

Well, Tour of Missouri fans may remember that Frischkorn finished second to George Hincapie in last year's inaugural event. Frischkorn finished 1 minute, 38 seconds behind Hincapie in the six-stage race.

Frischkorn, 27, was born in Charlottesville, Va., and now lives in Boulder, Colo., according to his biography at the Team Garmin-Chipotle Web site. Frischkorn won the 2007 Univest Grand Prix and he won the U.S. Under-23 National Championship Road Race back in 2002.

Being in third place in the Tour de France, even this early in the race, is a career highlight.

"I felt pretty darn good," Frischkorn said in an interview on the Tour de France Web site. "I’m ecstatic to have done this. It’s weird to feel a little disappointed right now actually.”

Why was he disappointed? Because he had a chance to win the stage.

“The sprint at the finish was a long one," Frischkorn said in the interview. "It started from two kilometers out really. (Samuel) Dumoulin hit out and I had literally been planning to attack after coming back from my previous turn of pace but he timed it perfectly. That really started the game.

“He rode a great finish and I hesitated just a little bit with 400 meters to go and I think that’s where I made my mistake but I take my hat off to him, he was great."

Dumoulin won the stage, but fellow Frenchman Romain Feillu, who was part of the lead breakaway, is wearing the yellow jersey. Frischkorn is 1:42 behind Feillu in the general classification. The breakaway finished 2:03 in front of the peloton.

Frischkorn, one of four Americans in this year's Tour de France, is writing a journal about his experience at VeloNews. It should be interesting to see what he writes about Stage 3.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour de France, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 12:07 PM

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Tour de Donut comes to Utah

There will not one, but two, Tour de Donut races this Saturday, July 12.

The first one, of course, is the 20th edition of the original Tour de Donut, which will be run in Staunton, Ill.

The second one is the Inaugural Utah Tour de Donut in American Fork, Utah, which is located between Salt Lake City and Provo.

Unlike the Staunton version of the Tour de Donut, which gives competitors a 5-minute bonus for each donut eaten at two stops on a 32-mile course, the Utah version of Tour de Donut gives a 3-minute bonus for each donut eaten on a 21-mile course.

The Utah folks are offering this bit of advice for their race: "With those kind of time bonuses available, how many donuts should you eat? Just seven donuts gives you a 21-minute bonus. That's like an extra 11 miles per hour in speed."

As for the people who want to hammer through the course without eating a donut: "These guys don't have a chance. Don't stop for donuts, don't eat a donut, just hammer down, and see how fast you can ride. (Maybe you are fast enough to prove us wrong. It's worth a try...)"

And for the Homer Simpsons out there who want to eat tons of donuts: "Not a chance either. 63 donuts later, you end up lying in the ditch. Sure, you got 189 minutes subtracted, but can you finish? (BTW, puking is not allowed)"

The Rotary Club of American Fork is putting on the Utah version of Tour de Donut, and proceeds will benefit the Utah Amber Alert Project.

As for the other copycat events throughout the country, the Donut Derby is slated for Sept. 1 in Trexlertown, Pa., and Arcanum, Ohio's version of the Tour de Donut will take place Sept. 6. No date has been published yet for this year's Tour de Donut in Katy, Texas.

Labels: Tour de Donut, Utah

Roger 0 comments 9:39 PM

Friday, July 04, 2008

Tour de France 2008

Part of the reason I include the news feed that I do in the right column of this blog is because I know sources such as VeloNews can provide much better coverage of the Tour de France than I can in this humble little blog. Nevertheless, here's my two cents worth on the race:

I'm extremely disappointed former Discovery Channel riders Alberto Contador, the defending champion, and Levi Leipheimer, who finished third, won't be there because of the decision of Tour de France to exclude Team Astana from this year's event because of the team's past doping transgressions.

I suppose one could argue that Contador, Leipheimer and former Discovery manager Johan Bruyneel should have had some clue that Astana would be targeted for punishment, but I don't find it particularly fair that a restructured Astana team should be so severly punished for sins of previous team members.

With Leipheimer's absence, I have to wonder how much interest there will be in this year's Tour de France by casual cycling fans. The die-hard fans, of course, are going to care about the race, but the lack of an American among the major contenders will reduce coverage of the race by the mainstream media.

In addition to the greatness of the race -- even a heavy-handed management style cannot rob the Tour de France of its splendor -- there are two American teams in this year's race. One is Team Columbia, which includes former Discovery lieutenant George Hincapie, and Garmin-Chipotle, which is best known for its anti-doping stance. Christian Vande Velde is the best-known American on that team.

If your local newspaper or TV station provides inadequate coverage of the Tour de France, the three best sources are probably VeloNews, Versus and the Tour de France site itself. Versus, as always, will provide almost-constant TV coverage of the race. Gene Bisbee also provides a list of sources at his BikingBis blog.

Labels: cycling, racing, Tour de France

Roger 0 comments 1:53 PM

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Bicycle tragedy in Canada

Daniel Hurtubise had been living with juvenile diabetes (Type 1) since the age of 15. Daniel, 50, and his family had embarked on the Ride of a Lifetime, a cross-Canada fundraising bike trip to raise $500,000 for diabetes research and to show that diabetes doesn’t have to stop people from living an active lifestyle.

Daniel, friend Robert Carrier and two of Daniel's children, Alexandre and Sonia, began their trek June 14 from Vancouver’s Stanley Park. They had a goal of reaching St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Aug. 12.

Sadly, that won't happen. Daniel and Robert were killed Sunday when a passing car hit them, and both of the children were injured. The accident took place on a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Virden, Manitoba.

Daniel, who lived in St. Bruno, Quebec, had survived four episodes of diabetic coma. Nevertheless, he was an avid athlete, a former competitive swimmer who took a sabbatical from his marketing job in Montreal for the fundraising project he dubbed Ride of a Lifetime.

"(Daniel) wanted to inspire young people, to show them that you could live a normal life even if you had diabetes," family friend Françoise Le Guillou told the Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto.

Robert, who lived in Kelowna, British Columbia. was the retired CEO of a software company. He joined the journey because he also dreamed of cycling across Canada, according to the Montreal Gazette.

The family has asked people to keep Daniel's dream alive by making a contribution to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The Foundation and the Hurtubise family have issued statements, which you can read here.

The driver of the Honda Civic that struck the cyclists has not been charged yet, although an investigation continues, the newspapers reported.

You can leave your condolences at the Ride of a Lifetime site and read their accounts of the trip.

Labels: Canada, fatal accidents

Roger 0 comments 10:59 AM

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Tour de Belleville deadline approaching

The third annual Tour de Belleville ride is set to roll at 9 p.m. Friday, July 11, and you have until this Saturday, July 5, to sign up online at the regular price of $15. After that, the cost of the ride goes up to $25 a person.

In addition to online registration, you can sign up at the Bicycle World bike shop, 4516 W. Main St. in Belleville, where a registration party is planned for Saturday.

Outback Steakhouse will be sponsoring a picnic meal before the ride, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are available at Bicycle World or the Belleville Parks and Recreation office at 1105 Laderman Ave.

This year's Tour de Belleville will feature routes of 5 to 17 miles. Proceeds from the ride will be used to purchase stoplights to be installed on the Belleville bike path to insure the safety of those hundreds of people that ride the bike path every day. After the ride, participants will receive a free ice cream treat.

Labels: Tour de Belleville

Roger 0 comments 10:50 PM

On the Donut Trail ... Part II

Anyone who's visited this Web site for any length of time knows that I think donuts and cycling are a sweet combination!

The 20th anniversary of the original Tour de Donut is coming up July 12 in beautiful Staunton, Ill., and I couldn't think of a better way of getting ready for the event by taking part Sunday in the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's Donut Trail ride through South St. Louis, then participating in Staunton's Fourth of July celebration parade.

I wrote about the test run of the Donut Trail ride back in November, and about a dozen -- an appropriate number for a donut ride -- cyclists showed up for our first official version of the ride.

Yes, that's me in the photo taken by ride leader Thomas Carter leading the peloton from World's Fair Donuts to Eddie's Southtown Donuts in South St. Louis!

The route was sightly altered from the first version of the event, but the idea was still the same. The plan was to hit five donut shops, although only four were open. Unlike the Tour de Donut, there were no time bonuses to be had by eating lots of donuts, so most of us were content with eating one donut per shop. I did splurge and ate two at my favorite of the shops, the Donut Drive-In.

After spending five days pushing along my heavy mountain bike on the Katy Trail, it was amazingly easy to ride my road bike on the somewhat hilly course.

After the Donut Trail ride was done, it was off to Staunton where I had a new cycling challenge. I rode a trike for the first time. With the help of another trike rider, we hauled several signs promoting Tour de Donut, the upcoming Tour de Coal in Benld, Ill., and the proposed ITS Trail between Staunton and Benld.

At first, I wonder whether I was going to able to pull such a big load, but I soon figured out how to position my feet on the pedals and get the thing roling. I think paradegoers were facinated by the contraption, designed by John Fritsche.

I love the way Staunton has embraced the Tour de Donut. The city once again will have a Rib Festival to coinside with Tour de Donut and take advantage of the numerous out-of-town visitors, and Tour de Donut participants will be happy to know that Main Street in downtown Staunton has been repaved, giving cyclists a much smoother ride!

Speaking of Tour de Donut, I was delighted to find out that my nephew, Julius Parod, will be bringing his mom's (and my sister's) tandem with him to Tour de Donut this year. Yes, my nephew and I will be teamming up on the tandem, and we believe we have a solid shot of winning the tandem division this year!

Julius just finished the mountainous Bike Virginia ride last week, so he'll be ready for the considerably smaller hills near Staunton. I have total confidence he will eat more than his share of donuts!

I still find it hard to believe 20 years after I helped fellow officers of the Mid-America Bicycle Club create the ride that it's still around. The 20th anniversary of the Tour de Donut should be a special event, and you have until July 10 to sign up online. No day-of-ride registrations will be accepted.

Labels: bicycle rides, Illinois, St. Louis, Tour de Donut

Roger 0 comments 10:07 PM