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Friend of Gerry Frierdich earns well-deserved honor

Sandy Gore, the sparkplug behind fundraising efforts for injured recumbent cyclist and Belleville, Ill., portrait photographer Gerry "Chief" Frierdich, will be one of 12 people who will receive awards Thursday night at dinner held by The BASIC Initiative, a nonprofit group that works to bring community organizations together to collaborate on serving greater Belleville.

A story about the awards appears in today's Belleville News-Democrat. Needless to say, I was quite happy and surprised when I found out I was going to lay out a front page featuring Sandy and Gerry as the lead art.

I first met Sandy back in November 2007, shortly after the News-Democrat did a story about Gerry and mentioned her efforts to sell T-shirts to help out Gerry. Before that story was published, I had been thinking of ways on how the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society could help, but I wasn't quite sure whom I would have to contact to get the money to Gerry until I found out about Sandy.

From November through June 1 and beyond, I got hundreds of e-mails from Sandy concerning the ride, and she got hundreds of e-mails from me. Sandy's energy was contagious, and our group raised thousands of dollars for Gerry and drew more than 300 people on The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride, a healthy turnout for a first-time ride.

In a note to me today, Sandy confirmed what I already knew about her character:

"Roger, thank you very much for your kind words, but I'm just a small part of the big picture. I'm so proud of Chief for everything he has accomplished these last 14 months. ... All of us do such good things every day, from opening a door for someone to giving a smile to a passing stranger. Although we think these things are little, it means a lot to the recipient. Over these last 14 months, I've learned a great deal about myself and who I want to be. I've started doing things I have always thought about, but have never had the guts to follow through. Over the summer, I picked up the grocery store tab for a little old lady in line ahead of me. It was spur of the moment, and to say the least, she was shocked and very appreciative. Although I'll never know, my hope is that she was able to spend the money on something special for herself but, regardless, I hope it helped her out in some small way. It's up to us to take care of each other, day-in and day-out."

Although Gerry continues to improve, he still has a long ways to go. You can help. The Touring Cyclist bicycle shop in Fairview Heights and Bicycle World in Belleville are selling raffle tickets for a second Bachhetta recumbent bicycle, which will be awarded during a mouse race benefit for Gerry in February. Also, you still can donate to Gerry through Active.com.

Congratulations, Sandy, for all you've done to help Gerry through his difficult recovery!

Labels: Belleville, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments 8:55 AM

Thursday, October 23, 2008

New Madison County trail open

In the near future, Madison County Transit's new 9-mile Staunton-Worden Trail will be formally dedicated, but that hasn't stopped people from using the trail.

I haven't had a chance to ride the trail yet. But when I've had to travel to the Benld-Gillespie area for planning meetings for the Tour de Coal in recent weeks, I've noticed cyclists and walkers using the trail.

The formal dedication of the trail -- which is mostly asphalt with a small stretch of crushed limestone -- had been scheduled for Friday at the intersection of South Union and Sixth streets in Staunton, Ill., but the dedication has been postponed because of a forecast of cool, wet weather. No date has been set for the dedication.

However, an introduction of the trail for children still is on for 10:30 a.m. Saturday. All young people and parents with smaller children who wish to ride or walk on the trail are invited to gather at the South Water Tower Park in Staunton for this event.

A brief history of the trail and what was there before the trail will be presented, followed by a ride/walk on the trail. The distance you ride or walk is up to you, but the walk/ride will be limited to the trail segment between Sixth St. and Route 4, so that no road crossings are involved.
That is about 2 miles one way, which should burn some energy and get everyone ready for a free hot dog, chips and a drink back at the water tower at noon, compliments of the Staunton City Council.

The trail is built on former rights-of-way for the Illinois Traction System and the Chicago-Northwestern Railroad. The ITS system was an electric railroad that once connected St. Louis and Springfield, Ill.

MCT is now taking bids for a new trail that will connect Hamel and Worden, which will make it possible to ride on trails or designated bike routes all the way from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis to Staunton. The long-term goal is to create a trail that will link St. Louis and Springfield.

Until the new trail is built, cyclists riding from St. Louis or Edwardsville can turn off the MCT Quercus Grove Trail at Staunton Road just south of Hamel, travel north on Staunton Road to Brakhane Road, turn right on Brakhane Road and ride to Worden. Once in Worden, turn left on Main Street, then turn right on Kell St. Stay on Kell St. until you get to the Staunton-Worden Trail trailhead, which on the east edge of town.

Labels: Illinois, MCT Trails

Roger 0 comments 7:09 PM

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Kinder: Tour of Missouri "surpassed our expectations"

The 2008 Tour of Missouri brought $29.8 million into the state's, up from $26.2 million for last year’s inaugural tour, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder told a group Tuesday in St. Joseph, Mo.

An estimated 434,000 spectators combined watched the seven-day race at some point, the St. Joseph News-Press reported. About 2,100 people watched competitors as they raced through Kansas City, and 10,500 spectators spanned the St. Joseph to Kansas City route.

“This year’s race brought nearly $30 million of economic impact to our state,” Kinder said in a press release. “I am extremely pleased with the success of this year’s Tour. Though we faced very challenging weather conditions, with the remnants of Hurricane Ike passing through our state, our fan base was resilient and came out to see one of the most competitive professional cycling events ever to be held on American soil.”

During the course of the seven day event, the average out-of-state visitor spent over $270 per day during their visit. And in planning their trip, 77% of non-Missourians said the Tour of Missouri was reason they came to spend time in Missouri. A total of 72% of spectators rated the Tour of Missouri more highly than any other professional sporting event they had attended in the previous 12 months.

All figures are projections based on an economic impact study by IFM Sports, a firm Kinder said is regarded internationally for its sports marketing and research. Tourism comprised the bulk of the spending, he added.

The state has a contract to hold the Tour of Missouri again in 2009, but the future of the race beyond that is in question. Kinder, a Republican, is opposed by Sam Page, a Democrat who has said he is opposed to some aspects of state funding of the bicycle race. (Clarification: St. Louis Post-Dispatch political writer Jo Mannies wrote last week that Page says he doesn't mind state tourism money being used but objects to the use of about $250,000 from a state job-creation fund.)

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 1:30 AM

Friday, October 10, 2008

SIUC hashes out bicycle safety

Bicycling safety's a concern at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the surrounding community, and a group is trying to address the issue.

Carbondale Conversations for Community Action coordinator Sarah Heyer hosted an hour-and-a-half long dialogue between local cyclists and police on Thursday at the SIUC campus. The goals is to make Carbondale streets safe for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians, according to the Daily Egyptian, SIUC's student newspaper.

Three cyclists have been involved in motor vehicle accidents on the SIUC campus since January, An accident between a motor vehicle and cyclist also led to the death of an SIUC student in September 2001.

Most of the 30 participants agreed that using courtesy and common sense would go a long way to solve many of the safety concerns -- a position I've always held.

One of the participants said bike lanes in the Carbondale area often are unsafe for cyclists.Tire-flattening debris often settles in bike lanes, making them a hazard to cyclists, said Sandy Semrow, a member of the SIUC Triathlon Club who commutes from Murphysboro to Carbondale on her bicycle daily.

Several of the cyclists said they choose to ride in the road to encourage motorists to show them the same respect as another motor vehicle instead of crowding them into a hazardous bike lane.

SIUC Police Lt. Harold Tucker told the panel he distinguishes serious cyclists from casual, and oftentimes careless, ones by whether they wear helmets. Those who don't wear helmets are less likely to follow the rules of the road, he said.

"They're kind of compromising all the rules," Tucker said. "Basically they're saying, 'I just disregard all of that and I make up my own.'"

Generally, the tips in a graphic that accompany the story are sound, but not completely accurate. For example, a new Illinois law that went in effect Jan. 1 allows cyclists to extend their right hands outward to signal a right turn as well as raising the left hand.

The graphic also says 3 feet is a safe distance for passing a cyclist. That's true, but it's also the law in Illinois. That law also went into effect Jan. 1.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, Illinois, safety

Roger 1 comments 11:13 AM

Making sense of Belleville's Public Square

As long as motorists, cyclists and pedestrians pay a little bit attention, they should finally be able to make sense of downtown Belleville's Public Square.

For years, the Public Square has been the bane of vehicle operators. That was because many of them had no clue how to deal with it.

The Public Square intersection -- actually a traffic circle around the Veterans Memorial Fountain -- is at the junction of Illinois Street (Illinois Route 159) and Main Street.

Some motorists barge into the intersection with no regard to traffic already in the circle and no intention to yield. Others do yield, but then enter the intersection hoping the traffic already in the circle will yield to them. It was a confusing mess responsible for lots of accidents over the years.

The striping changes will make the Square more like a roundabout but with some differences, Belleville city engineer Tim Gregowicz told the Belleville News-Democrat. The graphic from the News-Democrat helps explain the changes.

"There will be 'Yield' signs for people coming up to the Square and 'Yield to pedestrian' signs at the crosswalks," he said. "Motorists coming into the Square will be expected to yield to traffic already in the Square."

There will be splitter traffic islands painted into each intersection with places where pedestrians can wait halfway across each street.

"For years people have wondered about how to drive around the fountain," Gregowicz said. "This should make that clearer."

In recent years, the Illinois Department of Transportation has built roundabouts in Highland, O'Fallon and Centreville. Many Tour de Stooges participants got to experience the Highland roundabout at U.S. 40 and Illinois Route 160 (Poplar Street) while driving to Lindendale Park, the starting point of the ride.

I'm sure you're wondering why Belleville's Public Square is a circle. From 1861 to 1972, the St. Clair County Courthouse was in the middle of the Public Square, with businesses and offices surrouding the building similar to other public squares throughout the country. The Veterans Memorial Fountain, originally built in the 1930s, was rebuilt in 1980, creating the current traffic circle.

Labels: Belleville

Roger 0 comments 9:25 AM

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Tour de Cupcake

It never ceases to amaze me that the Tour de Donut, the cycling phenomenon that I played a role in creating 20 years ago, is continuing to inspire new cycling/eating competitions.

The newest one, according to Fritz at the Cyclelicious blog, is the Tour de Cupcake in San Fransisco. The event, slated for 1 p.m. PDT Sunday, Oct. 19, benefits the Bike Kitchen.

Like the Tour de Donut, cyclists will receive a time bonus for each cupcake eaten, but the Bike Kitchen doesn't say how much of a bonus is being offered.

You can tell this is a West Coast event. The Bike Kitchen will be providing a vegan/sugar-free cupcake option at some checkpoints.

Somehow, I think it's going to be more difficult to smash together two or three cupcakes and devour them than it is to smash glazed donuts and inhale them. I also don't think the winner will be able to eat 33 cupcakes. That's how many donuts the winner of the 2008 Tour de Donut in Staunton, Ill., ate.

Roger 1 comments 11:20 PM

Federal Complete Streets Act

Fresh off the success of getting the Bicycle Commuter Act pushed through as part of the federal financial bailout package, bicycle advocates are trying to get Congress to pass a federal Complete Streets Act.

Bills in both the U.S. House and Senate would require that all users of the transportation system -- including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users as well as children, older people, motorists, and those with disabilities -- are adequately accommodated in all phases of project planning and development. It also would require that the safety and convenience of all users are considered in all phases of project planning and development.

Illinois lawmakers passed a state version of Complete Streets last year, while an attempt by Missouri lawmakers to pass its version of Complete Streets was scuttled by Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn, Missouri Bicycle Federation Executive Director Brent Hugh said in an advocacy alert.

Joining the Missouri Bicycle Federation in the effort are the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and the League of Illinois Bicyclists.

Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois is a co-sponsor of the Senate bill, while Rep. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois and Reps. Russ Carnahan and Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri are co-sponsors of the House bill. The groups are seeking support from other lawmakers from the bill.

The advocates are asking cyclists who support Complete Streets to send e-mails or letters to their lawmakers to encourage them to support the plan.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling

Roger 0 comments 3:10 PM

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Tour of Missouri gets an upgrade

The Tour of Missouri recently got a big boost in its international stature when the Union Cycliste Internationale upgraded the status of the 2009 event to 2HC.

The two biggest American races, the Amgen Tour of California and the Tour of Georgia, also are rated 2.HC, the highest rating available to North American races. The rating means the race will award premium international competition points to winners, which should attract more attention from fans, the international media and top international competitors.

Speculation is rampant that Lance Armstrong could race in Missouri next year, but the Kansas City Star reported Friday that's all it is.

In an interview with the Star, Medalist Sports managing partner Chris Aronhalt said he hoped Armstrong would add Missouri to his 2009 schedule, but he said he wasn’t counting on it. Medalist Sports puts on all three of the major U.S. stage races.

“It would be icing on the cake,” he said. “But we want to make sure it isn’t built on one rider.”

The higher rating doesn't necessarily ensure the race's future. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, both Republicans, jump-started the event in 2007 with state funding that Aronhalt said this year amounted to around $1.7 million of the event’s $3.3 million total budget, the Star reported.

Medalist Sports’ three-year contract with the state runs out after next year’s race. Blunt is not seeking re-election, and Kinder is running against Democrat Sam Page, who is opposed to state funding of the Tour of Missouri.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:40 AM

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Random thoughts from Belleville

Roger, where have you been? You've probably noticed I haven't been posting very often since the end of the Tour of Missouri. The primary reason for that is because I'm teaching a course in publication design at my alma mater, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in addition to my night job as design editor of the Belleville News-Democrat. It's the first time I've ever taught a course at any level, and preparing for two class sessions a week is taking most of my spare time.

The full-time professors say the first time teaching the course is the hardest and that it gets easier the more you teach it. I hope I get the chance to see whether that's true. I did find out early in the semester that it takes more material to fill an hour and 15 minutes than I thought it did.

I did find it cute when one of the students actually called me Professor Kramer, even though I'm a humble adjunct instructor. I don't even have a master's degree! Fortunately, the folks at SIUE decided my experience in the field counted for something, and I am appreciative for the opportunity to expand my horizons.

Bicycle maps available for all 102 Illinois counties: I wasn't aware of this until this week, but thanks to the folks at the ChampaignCountyBikes mailing list, I now know that the Illinois Department of Transportation has them available here: http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/state3.html

These are county-by-county versions of the regional bicycle road suitability maps available through IDOT and Illinois bicycle shops. Here are direct links to PDF maps for some metro-east counties:

• St. Clair County
• Madison County
• Monroe County
• Clinton County
• Jersey County
• Macoupin County

Tour de Belleville raises money for signals: Drivers will soon get a warning that bikes might cross their paths on East Main and B streets in Belleville, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

The proceeds from this summer's Tour de Belleville bicycle ride are being used to install two signals by the MetroLink Bike Trail in a section near Douglas School, ride chairman Phil Elmore said. When bikes on the trail approach East Main and B streets, they will trigger sensors that cause yellow warning lights to flash and alert motorists that bicycles are approaching.

Bicyclists must still stop at the intersections.

Work on the signals began Tuesday. The two signals cost $30,000, Elmore said.

While the signals at East Main and B streets will be helpful, my hope is that something can be done about the trail's intersection with North Green Mount Road along the MetroLink tracks. To me, it's the most dangerous intersection on the trail because of the volume and speed of traffic on Green Mount.

Labels: Illinois, journalism, Tour de Belleville

Roger 0 comments 3:40 PM