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Riding the Mother Road a piece at a time

Few American highways have the lure of historic Route 66 -- the Mother Road -- and two Midwestern organizations are planning multiday rides this year on portions of the highway.

The League of Illinois Bicyclists will be putting on the 2009 Route 66 Trail Ride on Aug. 29 to Sept. 3 from St. Louis to Chicago. LIB is billing the ride as is a loosely-organized, (generally) self-supported bicycle tour meant to publicize and promote development of Illinois’ Route 66 Trail bicycle route.

No luggage transport will be provided. Cyclists should either carry their own or make arrangements for others to provide support. Also, no meals and SAG support will be provided. The good news is that registration is free for LIB members. Those not already members must pay a $25 fee for membership and registration.



What's an example of the promotion LIB is striving for? Macoupin County, Ill., cyclists are pushing for a portion of an old Route 66 alignment roughly between Mount Olive and Litchfield to become a bicycle trail. That particular alignment was a four-lane divided highway, but only two of the lanes are being used for vehicular traffic these days. The two unused lanes are in good enough shape that, with a little work, they could become a bike trail.

The second of the multiday rides is the Gateway Council of Hostelling International-USA's Cycle Route 66: America's Mother Road ride. The ride begins Oct. 10 in Afton, Okla., goes through a sliver of Kansas on an old Route 66, then makes through Missouri until ending Oct. 16 in Eureka, Mo., a St. Louis suburb.

The cost of the ride is $450 for HI-USA members and $500 for non-members (extra fee for people wanting a single room). While the registration fee is considerably more than the Illinois ride, you get a lot for your money. The cost of the ride includes vintage Route 66 motels, mouth-watering diner & cafe food (breakfast and dinner), rest stops, marked roads, luggage shuttle, mechanical/SAG support and a charter bus ride to the ride start.

Cyclists will have a choice of 335 or 375 miles. Be ready for some hills on his ride. Parts of the route have been used in the Tour of Missouri bicycle race, which is known for its undulating rolling hills.

If you're wanting to experience American history, these might be the ride for you!

Labels: bicycle rides, Gateway Council of Hostelling International, Illinois, League of Illinois Bicyclists, Missouri, Route 66

Roger 0 comments 12:08 PM

Ride of Silence

Tonight is the Ride of Silence, a slow-paced bike ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

The Ride of Silence will take place at 7 p.m. at numerous locations nationwide, and St. Louis is no exception. The St. Louis edition of the ride begins at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and is slated to go 10 to 12 miles, according to the Ride of Silence Web site.

Other Missouri communities hosting a Ride of Silence are Kansas City, Springfield, Sedalia and St. Joseph. Illinois communities hosting a Ride of Silence are Arlington Heights, Champaign-Urbana, Charleston, Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Joliet and Peoria. To find out more details about those rides or about Ride of Silence in other states, visit the Ride of Silence schedule.

I won't be able to attend tonight's Ride of Silence in St. Louis because I'm riding with the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society tonight in Mascoutah, Ill. However, I do plan to ride in honor of Gerry "Chief" Frierdich tonight. Gerry continues to make great strides in his recovery from an August 2007 accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, safety

Roger 0 comments 11:47 AM

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Too bad I didn't have a camera tonight

Sunday evening, I had one of my most enjoyable rides I've had in a while. If I had not worked Saturday night, I might have been tempted to make it up to Trailnet's ride in St. Jacob, Ill., which uses some of the same roads that I plotted for the Tour de Stooges.

Instead, I decided to go to church, visit Belleville's Art on the Square festival and get a adjustment to my rear derailleur. By the time I got all that done, it was in the neighborhood of 5:30 p.m. I really needed to get a ride of about 30 miles in, so I hopped on my bike and started heading toward the MetroLink Trail and points east.

I wanted to hit one of my favorite cycling roads in the area, Funk School Road, an interesting road with mild hills southeast of Belleville. So after riding the trail all the way to Southwestern Illinois College. From there, I took the wide shoulder of Illinois 161 to Radio Range Road and took that to Illinois 158-177 and headed east to Renchler Road. I've always found Illinois 158-177 to be safe because it has 3 feet of pavement to the right of the white line. That's enough for me to feel safe, although I'm sure some riders may not be as comfortable on the road as I am.

I enjoy riding in the early evening. The photographer in me gets into the lighting that time of day, plus much of the scenery is very green because of all the rain we've had in the area. The rain has kept farmers out of their fields, meaning that some of them were blooming with wildflowers. Very nice!

I love Funk School Road not just because of the small hills, but because of the curves that make it interesting. The same goes for Jefferson Road and Reinneck Road.

I was a bit concerned when the sun hid behind some clouds that had formed before sunset, but I made it back in Belleville with a little bit of daylight to spare.

This is the time of year I love riding in the St. Louis area. We're a bit cooler than normal this spring, but the temperatures usually are perfect for cycling. The wildflowers and the lush greenery are a bonus.

If you live in or the near the metro-east, I recommend this ride. Enjoy!

Labels: Belleville, bicycle rides

Roger 1 comments 11:51 PM

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Around the horn ... again

Here's a few items that might be of interest to St. Louis-area bicyclists:

Another bicycle-pedestrian crossing at Forest Park: As part of the reconstruction of Interstate 64-U.S. 40 in St. Louis, a new bicycle-pedestrian tunnel is linking linking Oakland Avenue to Forest Park. The tunnel replaces an older tunnel with sharp turns that had to be removed because of the reconstruction project.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the tunnel is not completely finished, but it's done enough that bicyclists and pedestrian can use the tunnel.

Bike trial proposal gets opposition: The Green Rivers Greenway District is seeking to build a $2 million, 2.6-mile trail from Greensfelder Park in University City to Shaw Park in Clayton. But it seems the project is being opposed by some people in the upscale suburb of Ladue.

The folks like the idea of bike paths, but they don't like the idea of the trail becoming a thoroughfare for bicyclists and pedestrians. You can see a video at KMOV-TV.

Before rejecting the trail out of hand, I would recommend opponents talk to people and businesses along the Katy Trail and the Madison County Trail system to get both sides of the story.

Tour of Missouri field gets a boost: Following the announcement of No. 1-ranked Quickstep’s participation recently, the current world No. 2-ranked team, Saxo Bank of Denmark, has been announced for the third Tour of Missouri professional cycling race, scheduled for Sept. 7-13, according to a press release from the Tour.

The addition of Saxo Bank, which is led by superstars Fabian Cancellara (Olympic and world champion time trialist) of Switzerland; brothers Frank and Andy Schleck (winner of last weekend’s Leige-Bastogne-Leige) of Luxembourg and Germany’s Jens Voigt, will mark the seventh entrant expected to line up at the 2009 Tour de France this summer. It will mark Saxo Bank’s first time racing at the Tour of Missouri.

Meanwhile, tour directors are seeking volunteers for the event. You can sign up for a wide range of jobs online.

Labels: St. Louis, Tour of Missouri, trails

Roger 1 comments 11:51 PM

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Help sought for Complete Streets

Yesterday, I received a note from League of Illinois Bicyclists Executive Director Ed Barsotti urging me to contact my lawmaker, Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, to support language to requiring states to adopt Complete Streets legislation to receive federal funding for highway projects that receive federal money.

He also asked me to spread the word among the cycling community, and I'm glad to oblige.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is considering the transportation authorization bill, and bicycling groups are asking for the inclusion of Complete Streets requirements as part of the bill. People are urged to contact lawmakers on the committee by early Thursday to include the requirement.

Generally speaking, Complete Streets rules require transportation officials to consider all users -- including bicyclists, pedestrians and the disabled -- while planning highway projects. Illinois adopted Complete Streets two years ago, while Missouri bicycle advocates are facing an uphill battle to get that state to adopt Complete Streets.

The St. Louis area is well-represented on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Costello is the third-ranking Democrat on the committee, and Reps. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., and Phil Hare, D-Ill., also are on the committee. You can see a full list of committee members on its Web site.

Costello's Washington office can be reached at 202-225-5661.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, League of Illinois Bicyclists

Roger 0 comments 9:23 AM

Friday, May 01, 2009

Missouri now has a Bicycle Friendly Community

The League of American Bicyclists today released its Bicycle Friendly Communities for 2009. For the first time, a Missouri city made the list.

Columbia, the home of the University of Missouri, earned a Silver designation on the strength of the city's engineering of bicycle routes and encouragement of bicycling. As the Missouri Bicycle Federation has noted, bicycle trips in Columbia more than doubled--increasing from 3.4% to 8.7% of all work/school trips. The GetAbout Columbia program has succeeded in increasing the number of bike trails and bike lanes.

Three Illinois cities also made the list. Chicago earned a Silver designation, while the suburbs of Schaumburg and Naperville received Bronze.

What are this year's most Bicycle Friendly Communities? Davis, Calif; Boulder, Colo; and Portland, Ore. All three communities received the Platinum designation.

Earning Gold are Corvallis, Calif.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Jackson and Teton County, Wyo.; Madison, Wis.; Palo Alto, Calif.; Tuscon, Ariz.; San Francisco, Seattle and Stanford University.

As far as Bicycle Friendly States are concerned, Illinois ranked 12th, while Missouri ranked 17th.

Illinois earned its rating because the state "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 status was because "Missouri has a bike route map with suitability ratings, but no bike master plan and no cell phone use restrictions."

Wisconsin took second place, trailing only Washington state. Other nearby Midwestern/Southern states and their rankings include Iowa (6), Michigan (15), Indiana (28), Kentucky (27), Kansas (33), Arkansas (38) and Tennessee (43).

What state is at the bottom of the list? Alabama. Here's that LAB has to say about Alabama: "Alabama promotes bicycling through its tourism board, yet lacks a state-wide bike route network and still has dated, discriminatory mandatory sidepath laws on the books. The state also falls behind the majority of the country in Safe Routes to School programming."

Labels: advocacy, League of American Bicyclists, Missouri

Roger 0 comments 6:47 PM

Lindenwood University cycling team turmoil

A dispute between a former member of St. Charles-Mo. based Lindenwood University's cycling team and the team's coach has spread to the pages of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Paddy Kilmurray, the captain, told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday he was kicked off the team. Kilmurray, a sophomore from Australia, said the coach, Adrienne Murphy, would frequently drink wine and beer at away races and then drive the team's van, and he said he was removed from the team for bringing up the allegations to university officials.

Scott Queen, a spokesman for Lindenwood, said Murphy denied Kilmurray's wide-ranging allegation. He said Murphy admitted to drinking one glass of wine with dinner during a competition and that she was not aware it was against university policy to drink while supervising students.

Murphy took over the team in January, and Queen told the Post-Dispatch that she and Kilmurray had a history of conflicts. He had been suspended from one race, and Queen said Kilmurray was dismissed for insubordination.

Lindenwood is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference and is classified as Division I by USA Cycling-Collegiate.

Labels: cycling, Missouri, racing

Roger 0 comments 10:49 AM