Thursday, September 25, 2008

Guess who's the best bike club in St. Louis?

The Riverfront Times published its annual Best of St. Louis edition today, and the winner of the Best Bike Club for 2008 is none other than the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society!

As the webmaster and a longtime ride leader for the BABES, I think I can speak for the group that we are truly honored to earn the designation!

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Fridays are for pub crawls and Saturdays for movies. Wednesday is a night to go riding. And there's no better outfit to tag along with than the Belleville Area Biking & Eating Society. ... After the haul everybody whips off their helmet and Spandex and whistles for barbecue plates and pitchers or whatever happens to be on tap for the evening.

While we're happy to earn the designation, you need to be aware that our Wednesday Evening Rides are finished for 2008. There simply isn't enough daylight left for people to get off work, get to the ride site and get good mileage in. The Wednesday Evening Rides will resume in April 2009.

However, we still have three more Winery Rides coming up, the first of which is at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Hidden Lake Winery near Aviston, Ill. On Oct. 5 and Oct. 26, we will have winery rides out of the Ravissant Winery in Belleville. Check out the Web site for more details.

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 1:37 PM

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tour de Coal slated for Sept. 27

The Coal Country Chamber of Commerce will present the 3rd annual Tour de Coal Bicycle Ride on Saturday, Sept. 27, in Benld, Ill.

The Tour de Coal is for riders of all ages and abilities who have an interest in cycling in the Macoupin County area. As a native of Macoupin County, I'm proud to do what I can to promote cycling in the county. Many people are trying to develop trails in the county, with the long-term goal of creating a network of bicycle trails that will link St. Louis to Springfield, Ill.

Registration will be from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Benld Elementary School, 100 E Dorsey St. in Benld, on the morning of the event. Day-of-ride registration costs $20 per person or $50 for a household of three or more people, but you can save money by signing up in advance by mail or through Active.com. Pre-registration is $15 per person or $40 for a household of three or more. You can fill out a form at the Tour de Coal Web site, and registration fliers are available at many St. Louis-area bicycle shops.

Choose from a 15-mile family ride, a mid-length 30-mile ride or a metric century. The terrain is flat to rolling with some hills in the rural countryside surrounding Benld and Gillespie. The Benld-Gillespie area is about 50 miles north of St. Louis, roughly halfway between St. Louis and Springfield, Ill.

This year's metric century route is a bit different than in the past. The course will head north of Gillespie, then south through Dorchester, Bunker Hill, Staunton and Mount Olive. For the most part, the route between Staunton and Mount Olive will be on an old alignment of Route 66, and the course passes the gravesite of Mother Jones, a major labor leader in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Last year, ride organizers were disappointed that many of the roads were freshly oil-and-chipped in the days before the ride. This year, we have received commitments from township highway supervisors that fresh oil-and-chip will not be placed on the roads in the days before the ride. (Note: This is not an absolute guarantee, but every effort has been made to avoid the problems we faced last year.) Although new oil-and-chip will be placed on a couple of the roads early this month, they should be packed down enough by the end of the month that cyclists will be able to safely navigate the course.

The ride will be held in conjunction with the 10th annual Fall Festival held at the Benld City Park, a family-oriented festival.

Proceeds from Tour de Coal and the Fall Festival will be used for community projects in Benld, Gillespie and other nearby communities.

Labels: Illinois, Tour de Coal

Roger 0 comments 2:19 PM

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Vande Velde wins Tour of Missouri; Chicchi wins Stage 7

Congratulations to Lemont, Ill., native Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle), who won the 2008 Tour of Missouri today by finishing safely in the pack of the 53,2-mile Stage 7.

Accompanying Vande Velde on the podium were Australian Michael Rogers (Columbia) who finished second in the general classification 18 seconds behind the winner. Canadian Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) rounded out the podium.

“It’s been a really great race from day one,” Vande Velde said of the Tour of Missouri Web site. “I didn’t expect to win the time trial, but from then on, it was game on with everyone throwing everything at us, trying to take away the 21-second gap I had from the time trial. In the end, I was happy that everyone gave us such a fight because the win means that much more to us.”

Vande Velde, who finished fifth in this year's Tour de France, won Tuesday's Stage 3 time trial in Branson and never lost the lead again.

Fransesco Chicchi (liquigas) of Italy won Stage 7 in about 1 hour, 52 minutes, denying Mark Cavendish (Columbia) of Great Britain of a fourth stage win.

On the strength of his three stage victories, Cavendish won the points jersey and his Columbia squad won the team competition. BMC's Jeff Louder won the most aggressive rider competition and Toyota-United's Dominque Rollin won the climber's competition, and Liquigas' Roman Kreuzinger was the best young rider.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike had a major impact on the final stage. The circuit had to be cut from 13.5 miles to about 10.5 miles because of flooding inside Forest Park. Tour organizers took out 3.5 miles of the course within the park, which would have taken them past the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo and the Muny Opera. The remnants brought rain early in the stage and stiff winds throughout the stage.

Tour organizers also canceled a health and wellness expo scheduled for downtown St. Louis, race official Priscilla Visintine told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

From what I saw the the crowds on video -- I couldn't make it to today's stage because of work obligations -- they seemed sparce on much of the course. Of course, the crowd was strong along the start-finish line near City Hall, and there were decent numbers along parts of Euclid Avenue in the city's Central West End.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:43 PM

What's the forecast for Stage 7?

From all appearances, the worst of the remnants of Tropical Storm Ike has passed through the St. Louis area. Weather.com is reporting a 30 percent chance of rain at the 2 p.m. start of Stage 7 of the Tour of Missouri, which will begin and end at St. Louis City Hall on Market Street. The chance of rain goes down to 20 percent by 3 p.m.

It will, however, be rather windy. Northwest winds of 19 to 23 mph are expected throughout the stage, with gusts of up to 45 mph. A wind advisory is in effect until 4 p.m.

The worst of the rain passed through the St. Louis roughly between 8 and 9 a.m., and it is heading to Chicago and Michigan.

On a related note, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did a nice profile of Christian Vande Velde, the Illinois native who most likely will cross the line this afternoon as the 2008 champion of the Tour of Missouri. Reporter Kathleen Nelson also talked to his father, one-time racer John Vande Velde, about his son's early days on the bike.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 10:38 AM

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Vande Velde keeps yellow; Cavendish wins Stage 6

Barring a major catastrophe, Illinois native Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chiptole) should be your 2008 Tour of Missouri champion.

Vande Velde maintained his 18-second lead over Michael Rogers (Columbia) in the general classification after Saturday's Stage 6. Canadian Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) is 48 seconds back, followed by defending champion George Hincapie (Columbia), who is 1:03 back.

If the weather forecast holds true for Sunday, there is plenty of room for catastrophe. The remnants of Tropical Storm Ike -- it was downgraded from a hurricane earlier today -- are still expected to pelt St. Louis with heavy wind and rain.

Crowd favorite Mark Cavendish (Columbia) , a four-stage winner in this year's Tour de France, pulled away from the field in the final 50 yards of a long, straight finish to claim the 96-mile stage from Hermann to St. Charles in 3:32:25.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 2:15 PM

Friday, September 12, 2008

Vande Velde stays in yellow

When cyclists line up Saturday morning in the Missouri wine country community of Hermann, Illinois native Christian Vande Velde once again will be wearing the Tour of Missouri's yellow jersey as the race leader.

Dutch cyclist Boy van Poppel (Rabobank) won today's stage with a strong climb up a 300-meter hill leading to the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.

There were no changes to the top of the general classification. Anyone who wants to knock Vande Velde off the top rung probably has to make his move Saturday. There are three King of the Mountain climbs on Saturday's stage, then a long stretch of flat riding before St. Charles, the finish line for Stage 6.

Of course, rain could be a factor in the final stages. There's a 60 percent chance of showers Saturday and a 100 percent chance of rain Sunday because of the remnants of Hurricane Ike.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 7:54 PM

Stage 7: Meet me in St. Louis

For those of you who are coming in from out of town to watch the final stage of the Tour of Missouri, I have one piece of advice: Bring your rain gear to watch Sunday's Stage 7.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike are expected to come into the St. Louis area sometime Saturday and stay around well into Sunday. The National Weather Service is predicting a 100 percent chance of rain Sunday. At least one media outlet is predicting up to 5 inches of rain to fall as a result of Ike.

Nevertheless, I welcome you to St. Louis. I've been lucky to live for all but two years of my life within 50 miles of the Gateway Arch, and I think St. Louis is a great city.

As I mentioned last year, St. Louis has taken its share of punches over the past four decades with population losses and crime, but St. Louis still has a lot of things going for it. In addition to the Gateway Arch, one of the world's most distinctive monuments, we also are home to a world-class symphony, a world-class zoo, a world-class botanical garden and the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won more World Series titles than any other team, except for the New York Yankees.

Last year, the final stage of the Tour of Missouri drew about 50,000 people, tour organizers estimated. I thought that was rather good, considering about 45,000 people were watching the Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs in Busch Stadium and about 60,000 people were watching the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers play at the Edward Jones Dome.

This year, only the Rams are in town at the same time as the Tour of Missouri. The Rams take on the world champion New York Giants at noon at the Dome. Stage 7 is slated to begin at 2 p.m. and end about 4:50, minimizing conflicts on the streets and MetroLink, the city's light-rail system, between football fans and cycling fans.

Still, I might give yourself time to get there and to give yourself time going home. Even with the rain, a bicycle might be the best way to get around the city Sunday. To that end, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will be offering a bicycle parking service at the Soldiers' Memorial at 13th and Chestnut streets.

This year's Stage 7 begins and ends on Market Street in front of the St. Louis City Hall, rather than Union Station, where the finish line was last year. City Hall is about four blocks east of Union Station.

However, we'll start our tour of the 13.5-mile Stage 7 circuit at Union Station. The Tour of Missouri will be making five trips around the circuit. In the first half of the 20th century, Union Station was the second-busiest railroad station in the nation, surpassed only by Chicago's Union Station. Today, it's a center for shopping and dining, but the station still adds a distinctive touch to the the city's skyline.

The course begins with a short downhill, the makes a long, gradual climb up Market Street to the A.G. Edwards headquarters at Market and Jefferson streets. The route passes Harris-Stowe State College and Saint Louis University's new basketball arena before reaching a tricky part of the course.

After being on nice, wide Market Street, the peloton will have to squeeze into a single lane on the ramp from Market Street to Forest Park Boulevard. Making things a little more difficult is that there are grates on the left and right sides of the ramp that can easily gobble a road tire.

The course opens up again on the right lanes of tree-lined Forest Park Boulevard, which serves as home to businesses, apartments and single-family homes. The route continues on Forest Park Boulevard past Barnes-Jewish Hospital, underneath Kingshighway and into Forest Park itself. I wouldn't recommend trying to watch the race between Kingshighway and DeBalievere Avenue because access to that part of the route is limited.

At DeBalievere, the route turns left into Forest Park. It goes to the left of the Missouri Historical Museum and continues on Lagoon and Fine Arts drives past the St. Louis Art Museum and the St. Louis Zoo to Government Drive. From there, the circuit continues on Theatre and Grand drives before turning right onto Union Boulevard. The route continues on Union until it turns right on Delmar Avenue.

At first glance, the Delmar Avenue stretch of the course doesn't seem all that impressive. It has a look of a neighborhood that has seen better days, but if you look closer, you will see signs that Delmar Avenue is coming back to life. The neighborhood is trying to build on the success of the University City Loop district, which is west of the Tour of Missouri route on Delmar.

The route continues on Delmar and across Kingshighway, then turns right onto Euclid Avenue and into one of St. Louis' most distinctive business and residential areas, the Central West End. The CWE is home to several sidewalk cafes and coffee shops, and no doubt will be extremely busy Sunday. Duff's, at 392 N. Euclid, has a reputation for having one of the city's best Sunday brunches. A bit further down the street is Coffee Cartel, rated by many as St. Louis' best coffee shop. There are several other choices, so I'm sure you can find something that will keep you nourished as you watch the race fly past you.

Last year, the route turned left on Lindell Boulevard and passed some of the most distinctive architecture of the city. This year, the route stays on Euclid to Forest Park Boulevard. The racers will turn left onto Forest Park Boulevard and go east until reaching Compton Avenue between the St. Louis University and Harris-Stowe campus.

From there, the circuit turns right on Olive Street. Olive Street is another street that had been in decline but is trying to stage a comeback. On 21st Street, just north of Olive, is the Schlafly Brewery and Tap Room, home to some of the city's best microbrew beer. If you look hard enough, you will find some bits of interesting architecture along Olive.

The route turns right on wide Tucker Boulevard, then turns right on Market for toward the start-finish line.

Compared with what the cyclists encountered on Stage 6, the hills on this circuit will be a piece of cake. The hills on Market and Olive are long, gradual grades.

Also Sunday, there will be Family Fun Village features Demonstrations and entertainment throughout the day, including live music, Kid’s Safety on Bikes Program, St. John’s Helmet Fittings and low cost helmets available to purchase. Check out the Metro bike rack, and get a free smoothie from Trailnet’s Bike Blender.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour of Stage 6, and see you Sunday!

Labels: St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:01 PM

Stage 6: How about some more wine?

Part of the rationale for the state of Missouri to pour money into the Tour of Missouri is to boost tourism in the state, so it makes sense that Saturday's Stage 6, which starts in Hermann and ends in St. Charles, goes through the heart of Missouri's wine country. I'm posting this now so you have a few hours to make your last-minute plans.

Last year, the Saturday stage of the race began in Jefferson City. This year, tour organizers took away the stretch between Jefferson City and Hermann. Hermann is the home of the Stone Hill Winery, one of the best-known Missouri wineries. Missouri is known for its dry, red Norton wines, its German-style white wines and its Port wines, and Stone Hill is no exception.

The Tour of Missouri is expected start in Hermann at 12:30 p.m. with a neutral start through town, then they'll turn east on Highway 100, where they will pass several more wineries as racing begins in earnest. Sprinters points will be awarded in New Haven and Washington.

The route crosses the Route 47 bridge at Washington, and the cyclists will turn east on Highway 94 and pass the Blumenhof Winery. They'll turn right on Emke Road, then turn left on Augusta Bottom Road, paralleling the Katy Trail. The first set of KOM points will be awarded near the Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta. The winery also is offering some packages so you can enjoy the race race for the winery's VIP area. Below is the profile for the first KOM:



The route traverses through Augusta back to Highway 94. After about a mile on that highway, the route turns left onto Schluersburg Road. That's when the racers will face one of the two stiffest climbs of the day, the climb up the Schluersburg Road hill for the second KOM points.

If you want to see a bit of suffering, Schluersburg Road is your place. Last year, several hundred fans lined the road to watch the racers plod their way up the hill, and the hill is one of the best places to get a glimpse of the race. You also should have time, if you're traveling by car, to get to the finish line in St. Charles.

Here's what the riders will be facing on that 0.7-mile climb with about 350 feet of vertical gain:



The route has a third KOM zone, on Old Colony Road near Defiance. The cyclists will be going on a flat stretch of Highway 94 through Defiance, then the road veers away from the Missouri River valley, and the climbing begins. They turn left onto Highway F, then they'll turn right onto Old Colony to finish the climbing to the KOM banner. Here's a profile of the stretch between Defiance and the KOM banner:



This year's route then continues into the city of O'Fallon, then north into the Mississippi River valley. The flat route in the valley should give the non-climbers a chance to recover from the the big climbs, but they have one more hill in the northern part of St. Charles before the finish line.

The route ends in St. Charles, Missouri's first state capital, in the city's historic district at Riverside Drive and First Capitol Drive. There are plenty of shops in the historic district, not to mention the Ameristar Casino to the south of the finish. For more details about the Stage 6 route see the map and the log at the Tour of Missouri site.

The bad news for Saturday is that the Weather Channel is forecasting a 40 percent chance of thundershowers at the start of Saturday's stage, increasing to 70 percent by 4 p.m., so come prepared. Wet conditions could make for a rather interesting finish.

Nevertheless, the state of Missouri is hoping you'll come visit -- and spend some money!

Also Saturday, people will get a chance to ride the 13.5-mile circuit Tour of Missouri racers will be doing Sunday in the finale in St. Louis. Trailnet is putting on a Racecourse Ramble at the Soldiers' Memorial, 1315 Chestnut St. in St. Louis. The ride begins at 8:30 a.m. and costs $8 for Trailnet members, $12 for non-members and $3 for children under 13.

After the bicycle ride, you enjoy the Family Fun Festival at Soldier’s Memorial, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will be activities, including a bike safety program at 10:00, 11:00 and noon, food and beverages. Later in the evening, around 7:30 p.m., the film “American Flyer,” which stars Kevin Costner and was partly filmed in St. Louis, will be shown at the south end of Union Station. There will be food, beverages and prizes during the movie.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:15 AM

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Vande Velde keeps Tour of Missouri lead

Columbia’s Michael Barry won today's Stage 4 of the Tour of Missouri, but Garmin-Chipotle's Christian Vande Velde kept the overall lead. Vande Velde is followed by Michael Rogers (Columbia) at 21 seconds back , Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) at 44 seconds, defending champ George Hincapie (Columbia)at 1:03 and Tom Danielson (Garmin)at 1:24.

The day's final King of the Mountain banner near mile 64 of the 95-mile course proved to be the turning point of the race.

Leading into that KOM, Toyota-United drilled the front, reeling back in the break and setting up its man Dominique Rollin, who is leading the KOM competition. Toward the top, Columbia’s Barry jumped clear, and Rollin was the only one who matched him. Rollin came around Barry to take maximum KOM points, but Barry kept the gas on over the top.

Heading over the climb, the field came apart, with only 18 riders making the front selection. The group quickly built up a lead over the peloton that ballooned to 18 minute, 37 seconds by the finish.

The field dropped by seven riders by the end of today's stage, from 113 to 106. John Devine and Craig Lewis, both of Columbia, and Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing) did not start the stage. Elliot Cervantes (Tecos de la Universidad Autonoma de Guadalaiara) and Rock Racing riders Sterling Magnell and Justin Williams dropped out. Jonathan Sundt (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) finished after the time limit.

Friday's Stage 5 promises more fun hills for the field. The race begins in the wine country community of St. James and ends in Jefferson City, the state capital. Riders will have to climb a 300-meter hill to the finish line in Jefferson City.

Also, Blake Caldwell (Garmin-Chipotle), who blew a tire and crashed halfway into the 18-mile time trial in Branson, is recovering after suffering a concussion, a broken clavicle, cracked sternum, cracked iliac and lung contusions. He is in stable condition and will remain under observation until further notice.

Reports of an airlift were incorrect, and he was taken by ambulance to the hospital, Tour of Missouri officials said.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:47 PM

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

First winner announced in Gerry Frierdich bike raffle

Congratulations to Diane Roche of St. Louis, the winner of the first of two Bacchetta Belandare recumbent bicycles that are being raffled off to raise money for Gerry "Chief" Frierdich, the Belleville, Ill., cyclist was was paralyzed from the chest down in August 2007 when his Bacchetta recumbent was struck by a pickup truck.

Diane's name was drawn Sunday at the Millstadt Biathlon, the first of two scheduled drawings.

Diane, shown here with Gerry outside her St. Louis home, was so excited because it means she can retire her old 10-speed bike.

As it turns out, Diane entered the raffle the day of The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride (June 1) while her fiance, Dewayne, rode all 50 miles of the long route through Belleville and the nearby communities of Paderborn, Floraville and Millstadt. When he returned to Central Junior High School in Belleville, the start and finish spot for the ride, Dewayne was met by Diane and their kids, Breana and Anthony, holding a sign that said, "We Love You Dad"

"In one way or another, Chief continues to create lasting memories for everyone around him," said Sandy Gore, one of the key organizers of the event. "By the time we left, hugs were flying like crazy. We sure do wish Diane, Dewayne and their family the very best and hope to see them again very, very soon!"

Those of you who bought tickets didn't win are still in the running for the second drawing, which will take place Feb. 7, 2009, at the Gerry's Mouse Race Benefit at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville.

If you want to buy tickets for the second drawing, you may buy them at The Touring Cyclist bicycle shop in Fairview Heights or Bicycle World in Belleville. You also may contact Bud & Sandy Gore, 4gores@charter.net or 618-277-5129, or Jean Bauder, greyhoundz_2@yahoo.com or 618-624-4910, if you want to buy tickets. They are $5 each or three for $10.

If you want to make a donation for Gerry's long-term recovery, you may do so through Active.com.

As a member of the committee who helped organize the ride, we want to thank Bacchetta for donating the two recumbent bicycles for our raffle.

Labels: Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments 3:53 PM

New leader in the Tour of Missouri

Judging from the headline in the cycling world this week, the news about Lance Armstrong resuming his cycling career has far overshadowed this year's Tour of Missouri.

In case you're wondering, Lance Armstrong did not win the Stage 3 time trial today in Branson, Mo. He isn't the overall leader in the race. In fact, he's not even in the race.

But the winner of Stage 3 is Garmin-Chipotle rider Christian Vande Velde. As a result of his time trial victory, Vande Velde also now owns the yellow jersey as the leader in the general classification.

Vande Velde won the hilly 18-mile time trial in 39:51. Columbia’s Michael Rogers was (40:12), and Sven Tuft of Symmetrics was third (40:24).

Columbia's Mark Cavendish, who won the first two stages, struggled as expected. He finished the circuit in 44 minutes.

Here's your top five in the GC:

1. Vande Velde, 8:48:24
2. Rogers, 21 seconds back
3. Tuft, 44 seconds back
4. George Hincapie (Columbia), 1:02 back
5. Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Chipotle), 1:10 back

Vande Velde told VeloNews that the course as brutal. "Everyone told me that it was really hard,” he said. “You just have to see it to believe it."

Missouri may not have the long, sustained climbs like other parts of the world, but I can tell you from first-hand experience, it has its share of short, steep ones.

Tour of Missouri competitors will see more of the the undulating hills Thursday in the 95-mile Stage 4, from Lebanon to Rolla. The route will go through Fort Leonard Wood, where many a solider went through basic training, as a special salute to the Armed Forces on the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The later part of the course, between Jerome and Rolla, will be on an old alignment of Route 66.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:22 PM

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Lance says it's so

Lance's Comeback to Cycling in 2009 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Lance Armstrong is back, as you can see from the video from LiveStrong.com.

Based upon sources, VeloNews first reported Armstrong would try for an eighth Tour de France title last year, and other media outlets picked up on the story.

In a story posted today at Vanity Fair, Armstrong confided to writer Douglas Brinkley -- a neighbor of his in Austin, Texas -- that he will race. Here's an excerpt:

As we sat in our terrace chairs overlooking the manicured vista, Armstrong nervously fingered the yellow band on his wrist. He insisted he had something on his mind. “Something huge,” as he put it. I braced for the worst.

Then, in almost robotic fashion, he said, “I’m going back to professional cycling. I’m going to try and win an eighth Tour de France.”

For a moment I gaped at him. Was I being punked? (Armstrong would later tell Doug Ulman, the president and C.E.O. of L.A.F., that my eyes bulged into saucers, like some boinged-out character in a Ralph Steadman illustration.) As the news sank in, though, I realized he was deadly serious. I knew from Armstrong’s memoir, "It’s Not About the Bike," that his VO2 max (the gauge by which the human body’s capacity to transport and use oxygen is measured) is superhuman, his ship-sail lungs uncommonly efficient.

But at age 37? A 2,000-mile, 23-day race, much of it uphill? By next July? I asked him, rather ungraciously, if he wasn’t too old to get back into shape that quickly.

He laughed. And he was off and running. “Look at the Olympics. You have a swimmer like Dara Torres. Even in the 50-meter event [freestyle], the 41-year-old mother proved you can do it. The woman who won the marathon [Constantina Tomescu-Dita, of Romania] was 38. Older athletes are performing very well. Ask serious sports physiologists and they’ll tell you age is a wives’ tale. Athletes at 30, 35 mentally get tired. They’ve done their sport for 20, 25 years and they’re like, I’ve had enough. But there’s no evidence to support that when you’re 38 you’re any slower than when you were 32.

“Ultimately, I’m the guy that gets up. I mean, I get up out of bed a little slow. I mean, I’m not going to lie. I mean, my back gets tired quicker than it used to and I get out of bed a little slower than I used to. But when I’m going, when I’m on the bike—I feel just as good as I did before.”

Armstrong said he is "100 percent" committed to competing next year.

Armstrong doesn't have a team, yet, and his camp acknowledges there's still a lot of work to do. But given Armstrong drive, I have no doubt he will find a way to be in France.

The Vanity Fair article covers a wide range of topics, including speculation he will run for governor of Texas and his ongoing work with cancer research. It's a rather length story and spends a lot of time setting the scene, but the article is worth the effort.

Labels: cycling, Lance Armstrong, racing

Roger 0 comments 4:34 PM

Two-for-two for Cavendish

When it comes to sprint finishes, it's tough to beat Britain's Mark Cavendish. The Columbia rider just one his second straight Tour de Missouri stage, taking the 126-mile stage from Clinton to Springfield.

Commentators Steve Schlanger and Nathan O'Neill say Cavendish's dominance of the race should end Wednesday in the Stage 3 time trial in the tourist city of Branson. We shall see.

There's a good chance the yellow jersey will remain in Columbia's possession, even if Cavendish falters in the time trial. Of course, you also can't count out Christian Vande Velde or some his Garmin-Chiptole teammates.

I had work to do today, so I didn't jump aboard the video coverage until late in the stage. I noticed that the streaming video on the Tour of Missouri Tracker and Universal Sports wasn'tworking again, but I did manage to find streaming video at KMOV-TV in St. Louis. If Tour of Missouri Tracker and Universal Sports aren't working again tomorrow, you may want to check out KMOV for the streaming video.

Here's a few more observations about Stage Two:

• The people of Springfield, Mo., seemed to be impressed by the racers, both the Springfield News-Leader reported. It helped that Brad Huff, a native of nearby Fair Grove, Mo., finished sixth, but they were amazed by the entire field. "It was amazing," Carol Winaus of Springfield said from her perch on the crowded bleachers. "It's amazing how fast they go. You can't blink or else you'll miss it."
• They also seemed to be especially impressed by Cavendish. The crowd went wild, as it did at Monday's finish. And so, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, he has spent more time signing autographs and smiling than any other rider. "He's got that impish charm," said team owner Bob Stapleton. "He's like everybody's little brother."
• Wednesday's time trial promises more of the fun that racers saw last year. The 18-mile course features three climbs, the last being a 2.5-mile haul up to Shepherd of the Hills Homestead and Outdoor Center, the location where tourism in the Ozarks was started in 1907. It was also made famous by the book and movie by the same title. The movie starred John Wayne.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 4:01 PM

Monday, September 08, 2008

Cavendish wins first stage of Tour of Missouri

UPDATED: Here's some observations from Stage One of the 2008 Tour of Missouri.

• Britain's Mark Cavendish lived up to expections by winning today's Stage One , a 90-mine trek from St. Joseph to Kansas City. Garmin-Chipotle's Tyler Farrar gave him a go at the end, but Cavendish won the stage. In July, Cavendish won four stages of the Tour de France.
• Reports indicate there was a crash at the end of the race, but the riders who crossed the line are likely to be given the same time as Cavendish.
• Near the end of the race, one of the inflatable archways over the course nearly blew over. You can see video of that over at MyFox Kansas City. The story says one of the inflatable archways collapsed on some of the riders. It didn't appear that way to me, although it clearly slowed down the peloton in Kansas City. No one appeared to be hurt and the mishap didn't seem to slow down the leaders.
• The riders battled a cross wind for the first half of the race and a driving rain in the middle third, which split the group into two. Clearly, it stayed windy at the end of the race, as evidenced by the blowing archway.
• Brooke Miller, the defending U.S. road and crit national champion, won the Tour of Missouri women's criterium race, which was run in Kansas City before the men charged toward the finish line.
  
• The Kansas City Star published an attractive preview of the Tour of Missouri, and you can download a PDF of the spread.
  
• Tomorrow, Stage Two takes the cyclists 126 miles from Clinton to Springfield. It was during this stage last year that George Hincapie took off as part of a big breakway to take the overall lead for the rest of the race. Hincapie solidified that lead with a strong time trial performance in Branson, and the Discovery Channel team was able to control the race the rest of the way.
  

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 4:01 PM

2008 Tour of Missouri: A modest preview

Instead of writing this post, I was hoping to be watching live video from the first stage of the 2008 Tour of Missouri.

Because of weather conditions and equipment issues, none of the outlets for streaming video -- Universal Sports, the Tour of Missouri Tracker or KMOV-TV in St. Louis -- are working. At least the Tour of Missouri Tracker has the commentary and location of the riders working, so that helps.

Clearly, the two top teams here this year are Columbia and Garmin-Chipotle. Defending champion George Hincapie rides for Columbia. Two former Discovery Channel teammates who were at last year's race -- Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer -- aren't here this year. Instead, Contador and Leipheimer are at the Vuelta a Espana. (Leipheimer's in second place overall after today's stage; he was in first after Sunday's stage.)

Illinois native Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle) also will be one of the people to watch for this year. Vande Velde finished fifth in this year's race. Will Frischkorn, who finished second in last year's Tour of Missouri, is back for another go, and David Zabriskie and Danny Pate also are in Missouri.

Columbia is getting a boost from Britain’s Mark Cavendish, winner of four Tour de France stages and two Tour of Italy stages this season, and three-time world champion time trialist Michael Rogers of Australia.

It will be interesting to see whether the Tour of Missouri can increase its fan numbers from last year. Event organizers were pleased with the turnout in most of the finish citieslast year.

You also can read some of the Missouri papers' previews of the Tour of Missouri. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch devoted considerably less space to the preview of this year's race compared with last year, when the Post ran a special section. In today's Post, the preview consisted of a single article and a list of top contenders.

Check out Google News for a list of other newspapers' previews of the race. Also, some of the links on the right side of this blog can fill you in.

P.S. This post is a mild milestone for this blog. This is my 700th post since Febraury 2004.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 2:47 PM

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Hit-and-run driver hits cyclist

The Belleville News-Democrat has posted a convenience store video on a minivan driver striking a bicyclist at the Crown Food Mart, 1441 N. Kingshighway, in the metro-east community of Washington Park, Ill.

Unfortunately, I can't post the video on this blog, so you'll have to visit the News-Democrat site to see it.

The accident took place about 1:30 a.m. last Monday. The victim, Anthony Jackson, sustained multiple injuries, including bleeding on the brain, several broken bones, and plenty of burns and bruises all over his body. He spent two days at St. Louis University Hospital and is recovering at home with pain medication and lots of help from his mother.

Washington Park Police Department Detective Kim McAfee said police have surveillance video that shows the driver and a passenger in the van.

"We also have a picture of the female who was wearing a white top with a multicolored design in the front," McAfee told the News-Democrat. "She was the passenger in the van. She got out, went inside the store and paid for the gas. The male suspect pumped the gas into the vehicle. All of this was captured on video. We want to give them a chance to turn themselves in. It's better that way."

Donna Brownlee, Jackson's mother, told News-Democrat reporter Carolyn P. Smith she is also upset because the driver has not come forward to accept responsibility for running over her son.

"He knows he hit somebody," she said. "It's like he doesn't care. This whole thing has sent me through a lot stress. My son lays up sometimes and hollers because of the pain he is in. I would like for the person who hit my son to turn himself into the police."

Labels: accidents, Illinois

Roger 0 comments 6:51 PM

Saturday, September 06, 2008

FSN Midwest, FSN Kansas City to cover Tour of Missouri

For those of you who are fortunate to have either FSN Midwest or FSN Kansas City, the two regional cable sports networks will be airing highlights of each stage of this year's Tour of Missouri.

Highlights of Monday's first stage will be shown at 10:30 p.m. on both networks. Highlights of Tuesday's, Wednesday's and Thursday's stages will be show in the neighborhood of 10:15 (FSN Kansas City) to 10:30 (FSN Midwest). The start times for those shows are at the mercy of Kansas City Royals baseball (FSN Kansas City) and St. Louis Cardinals baseball (FSN Midwest).

Friday's and Saturday's highlights are slated to begin at midnight, and Sunday's highlights are scheduled for 11 p.m.

The half-hour shows will be hosted by Steve Schlanger and eight-time Australian national champion Nathan O'Neill.

FSN Midwest operates in eastern and central Missouri as well as much of downstate Illinois, southern Indiana and Iowa. FSN Kansas City, of course, operates in the Kansas City region in Missouri and Kansas.

Labels: television, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 1:38 PM

Notes from the Illinois cycling scene

Some random notes about cycling in Illinois:

BRAKELESS BIKES: Last Sunday, the Chicago Tribune wrote about the fixed-gear bike trend, and newspapers throughout the country are picking up the story.

There's just one problem: Riding a bicycle without brakes on streets and highways is illegal in Illinois.

Nevertheless, many cyclists are jumping onto fixed-gear bikes because they see them as a pure form of cycling. Critics say running fixed-gear bikes on the street without brakes are a traffic hazard.

BIKE TRAIL TO CLOSE: Thanks to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's round of state budget cuts, 11 state parks are slated to close, including the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Channahon Parkway State Park, Gebhard Woods State Park in Morris and Illini State Park in Marseilles.

The Hennepin Canal Parkway is a 104.5-mile linear park that spans five counties (Rock Island, Bureau, Henry, Lee and Whiteside). The canal's towpath today is a popular destination for cyclists and is a part of the Grand Illinois Trail.

Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists, told the LaSalle News-Tribune that closing the trial could have a devastating impact on northern Illinois tourism. Barsotti told the paper that if the state allows the Hennepin Canal Parkway, which received federal funds for its construction as a bike path, to go into dispair, the federal government could withhold highway funds.

“The Hennepin Canal, also the I & M (Illinois and Michigan Canal), which is affected — that’s a major, major part, a highlight of the trail. And here we are, after making a huge investment. We’re going to lose that,” Barsotti told the paper. “I think the state has put too low of a priority on tourism in Illinois. Bicycling is one part of that, and it’s a growing interest throughout the country.”

The Lockport-based Canal Corridor Association says the Channahon and Gebhard Wood parks are major access points for users of the I&M Canal State Trail, a 61.5-mile trail from Rockdale to LaSalle that uses the old towpath for the I&M Canal, which links the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers.

The canals were built to link the Chicago area to the Mississippi River, ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. Both became obsolete as barges became bigger and the larger Illinois Waterway, which connects the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers was completed.

The Canal Corridor Association is urging people to contact Blagojevich and state legislators to keep access to the trails open.

The budget cuts don't affect any trails in the metro-east, but they also affect historic sites in our area. Fort de Chartres, the Pierre Menard Home and Fort Kaskaskia, which are on this year's Illinois Great Rivers Ride, will be closed because of the cuts.

ANOTHER ILLINOIS BICYCLE TRAGEDY: This week has not been a good one for Illinois bicyclists. An Illinois man was killed when he was struck by a Kentucky state trooper's car, four Amish men were injured when a motorist struck their bike, and now a 13-year-old Springfield boy was killed Friday night when he was struck by a Jeep.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reported the boy was trying to cross busy Veterans Parkway at Lawrence Street. Initial police reports indicate the Jeep, which was driving on Veterans Parkway, had a green light, driving with the flow of traffic and had the right of way and that the boy entered his path.

Labels: Chicago, fatal accidents, Illinois, League of Illinois Bicyclists, trails

Roger 0 comments 1:15 PM

Illinois 8th, Missouri 28th among Bicycle Freindly States

The League of American Bicyclists just released its list of Bicycle Friendly States, and I was somewhat surprised to see Illinois ranked 8th.

I wasn't quite as surprised that Missouri ranked 28th.

Illinois earned its 8th-place ranking because "Illinois passed a Complete Streets law in 2007 and has a statewide bike map with suitability ratings. However, there are no performance measures or project lists in the state bike plan."

Missouri's was ranked 28th because "Missouri has a bike route map with suitability ratings, but no bike master plan and no cell-phone use restrictions."

I'm sure Illinois, in part, earned high marks because of Chicago and one of its suburbs, Schaumburg. Chicago placed in the Silver Level of Bicycle Friendly Communities, while Schaumburg placed in the Bronze Level. No Missouri communities were cited among the nation's Bicycle Friendly Communities.

As for neighboring states, Wisconsin did the best, placing second. Michigan came in 12th, Iowa was 21st, Indiana was 22nd, Kansas was 25th, Kentucky was 29th, Nebraska was 33rd, Tennessee was 36th, Arkansas was 39th and Oklahoma was 43rd.

Washington was named the nation's most Bicycle Friendly State, followed by Wisconsin, Arizona, Oregon and Minnesota. West Virginia was named the nation's least Bicycle Friendly State. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and North Dakota also were in the bottom five.

LAB scored the states on responses to a questionnaire evaluating their commitment to bicycling and covering six key areas: legislation, policies and programs, infrastructure, education and encouragement, evaluation and planning, and enforcement.

Labels: advocacy, League of American Bicyclists

Roger 1 comments 1:15 AM

Friday, September 05, 2008

Tour of Missouri coverage on Universal Sports

For those of you wanting to watch freeonline video of the Tour of Missouri, it looks like Universal Sports will be the place to go.

Here's Universal Sports' schedule (All times Central Daylight Time):

Mon, Sept. 08	Stage 1	St. Joseph to Kansas City	1:45 p.m
Tue, Sept. 09	Stage 2	Clinton to Springfield	1:30 p.m.
Wed, Sept. 10	Stage 3	Branson (Time Trial)	11:15 a.m.
Thu, Sept. 11	Stage 4	Lebanon to Rolla	1 p.m.
Fri, Sept.12	Stage 5	St. James to Jefferson City	3:30 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 13	Stage 6	Hermann to St. Charles	1:30 p.m.
Sun, Sept. 14	Stage 7	St. Louis circuit race	2 p.m.

A while back, Gene Bisbee of the Biking Bis blog reported that Universal Sports is making a foray into cycling coverage to see whether there's enough interest to expand its coverage in 2009. Universal Sports has video on demand for the Tour of Germany, and it will cover the UCI Univest Cycling Grand Prix (10 a.m. Saturday) and the Doylestown Criterium (10 a.m. Sunday). Later this month, Universal Sports will cover the UCI World Championships in Varese, Italy.

The Versus cable channel also plans to air hightlights of the Tour of Missouri at 3 p.m. Sept. 28 as part of its Cyclysm Sundays bicycle racing coverage.

It appears from looking at the schedule for Justin.tv and Cycling.tv, which provided onlne video coverage of the 2007 Tour of Missouri, that neither outlet has coverage of this year's race. Cycling.tv is pouring its resources into the Vuelta a Espana.

The Vuelta a Espana has most of the top European riders, but the sole American in the race, Levi Leipheimer, is making an impact. After six stages, Leipheimer is second in the overall classification, 10 seconds behind Sylvain Chavanel.

I'll keep you posted of other outlets for video of the Tour of Missouri when I learn of them.

Labels: television, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 10:31 AM

Tour of Missouri Fan Zone

As of tonight, I am an authorized journalist for the Tour of Missouri Fan Zone.

You can be one, too

The Tour of Missouri -- which starts Monday afternoon with a stage between St. Joseph and Kansas CIty -- has partnered with Vitrue, a social media marketing company that provides fans, host partners and sponsors the opportunity to chronicle the 623-mile professional cycling event on the Fan Zone.

The site will enable fans to contribute their videos, photos and comments from the race. The site also provides channels devoted to host cities and sponsors. It is the first social site of its kind for this level of a professional cycling event, according to the press release about the Tour of Missouri Fan Zone.

Fan Zone participants will be:

• Upload photos, video and comments on the site and also through their mobile devices.
• Create their own profile and message other members within Fan Zone, creating a true community.
• Feature content from host cities and sponsors as well as exclusive professional content.

The Tour of Missouri will provide video cameras to event personnel and each of the 15 teams in the race in order to capture behind-the-scenes footage, which is usually never seen by the public. Team footage could include views from caravan vehicles following the race or team strategy sessions, said Steve Brunner, president of KOM Sports, which markets the event.

It will be interesting to see how fully the army of journalists can cover the event. If you recall from last year, when Justin.tv provided live streaming video feeds from the race, the picture went black from time to time. Also, AVF Creations' efforts to track the race were spotty.

The reason for that? Some parts of Missouri are rather isolated, meaning reliable cell phone and satellite connections can be difficult to find. However, reliable connections should be available at all the start and finish cities, so people who want to upload videos, photos and other media from those places shouldn't have any problem.

Labels: computers, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 2:47 AM

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Legendary British cyclotourist Ian Hibell dies

World-renowned cyclotourist Ian Hibell, the author of "Into the Remote Places" and a cyclist who put in more than 250,000 miles cycling the world, survived gun attacks by bandits, tropical ants that nearly ate him alive, mangrove swamps that nearly swallowed him and his bike, chases by rogue elephants and and an encounter a hungry lion.

But Hibell could not survive a Greek hit-and-run driver.

The Times of London reports that Hibell died on the Athens to Salonika highway on Aug. 23, when he was struck by a car apparently involved in a race with another motorist. The driver left the scene but was arrested two days later and charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

The Times credited "Into the Remote Places" for inspiring other cyclists to pack up thier saddle bags and taking off on their own adventures.

One of Hibell's most famous trips was his Trans-America expedition from Cape Horn to Alaska from 1971 to 1973. The video below shows his effort to cross the Darien Gap, a vast swampland that separates Panama from Colombia and North America and South America. This journey was taken before the advent of mountain bike, so he was riding a touring bike



Hibell also bicycled from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. The Daily Mail had this to say about his experiences:

He enjoyed the hospitality of an Eskimo princess, a Dyak headman in Borneo, African chiefs and missionaries and once asked for a two-year sabbatical from work -- only to return ten years later.

Ian used over 800 cycle repair kits during his travels and refused to use standard pannier racks for carrying items - insisting instead that custom-made racks be welded onto his Argos bike frames.

Longtime friend Nicola Henderson told the Mail: "At the time (of his death), he was doing what was his lifelong passion of cycle-touring. He had been touring the world more or less continuously for over 40 years."

I'm certain his legacy will live on as new generations of cyclotourists use "Into the Remote Places" as an inspiration.

Labels: bicycle rides, fatal accidents

Roger 0 comments 10:41 AM

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Amish cyclists injured in accident

Two Amish men from Arthur, Ill., were seriously injured Monday when their bicycles were struck by a car near Charleston, Ill.

The good news is that both men are recovering from their serious injuries. Vernon H. Miller and John H. Miller of Arthur were reported in fair condition Tuesday at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, a hospital spokeswoman told the Charleston Times-Courier.

Two other Amish bicyclists from Arthur, Phillip L. Gingerich and Eldon I. Plank, suffered less serious injuries.

A car driven by Derek C. Phillips, 21, of Casey, struck the bicycles being ridden by the four men on Westfield Road a half-mile east of Illinois 130, the department reported. The accident occurred just east of the historic Five Mile House, which was built in 1836 and sits exactly five miles south of the Coles County Courthouse in Charleston..

The investigation continues, but neither the Times-Courier nor The Associated Press indicated whether the driver was charged or given a traffic citation.

Amber Kauffman, director of the Amish Interpretive Center in Arcola, confirmed all four bicycle riders are Amish. Kauffman told the Times-Courier that the four men were returning from a weekend visit by bicycle to Flat Rock, a village of about 400 people in Crawford County with a small population of Amish people.

According to the Amish Interpretive Center's Web site, about 4,500 Amish people live in the Arcola-Arthur area in east-central Illinois. Amish people first started settling in Illinois in 1865.

Labels: accidents, Illinois

Roger 1 comments 10:06 PM

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Kentucky state trooper's car hits cyclists, killing Illinois man

(Note: The original post, based upon an Associated Press report, indicated the cyclist who was killed, Chris Powers, was from the Southern Illinois community of Jonesboro. Powers actually lived in Johnsburg, a northwestern Illinois community.)

The Northwest Herald reports a suburban Chicago man was killed Sunday night when a Kentucky state trooper's car hit him and his cycling companion near London, Ky. The trooper was responding to a non-emergency call

According to a police report, Senior Trooper Christopher W. Roberts was traveling behind a white Plymouth passenger car driven by Ramondo Cabrera-Ceron. According to preliminary reports, the Plymouth apparently stopped in the roadway and Roberts swerved to the right to avoid hitting it.

Roberts' cruiser hit two bicyclists, killing Chris Powers, 26, from Johnsburg, Ill., who died at the scene, Laurel County Coroner Doug Bowling said. The second bicyclist, Kevin Alshouse, 26, from McHenry, Ill., received minor injuries and was treated at the scene. Roberts also was treated for minor injuries.

London is located about 75 miles south of Lexington.

Police still are investigating the accident, but Roberts is not expected to be disciplined, said Don Trosper, a Kentucky State Police spokesman.

“We don’t get disciplined for things that are beyond our control,” Trosper told the Herald.

Labels: fatal accidents, Illinois, Kentucky

Roger 0 comments 6:52 PM