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Tour of Missouri dates set for 2010

Here's a bit of encouraging news about the future of the Tour of Missouri: The International Cycling Union (UCI) has set its UCI America Tour schedule, and the Tour of Missouri is on it.

The dates for the 2010 event are from Monday, Aug. 30, to Sunday, Sept. 5. Instead of beginning on or after Labor Day, as was the case the first three years of the race, the Tour of Missouri would end the Sunday before Labor Day.

The Tour of Missouri retains its 2.NC rating, the highest rating possible for a UCI America race.

George Hincapie, the winner of the first Tour of Missouri in 2007, has indicated he would be back in 2010. In a story in Cycling News, Hincapie, the defending U.S. road race champion, said: "The only thing better than winning the stars-and-stripes jersey is being able to wear that jersey for the entire racing season. With my new team, I will focus on the Spring Classics, and the fall will be my second priority. It looks like my season will end up with great races like the Tour of Missouri, the new Canadian ProTour events, the US Pro Championships and the World Championships."

The Cycling News story also indicates the Tour of Missouri dates were moved up because of two new UCI ProTour races in Quebec City (Sept. 10) and Montreal (Sept. 12). Those are the only 2010 ProTour events in North America.

Of course, the future of the Tour of Missouri remains up in the air. It's uncertain whether the state of Missouri will continue its financial support of the race and whether race organizers can find enough private-sector sponsors in case the state reduces or eliminates its support.

In another bit of encouraging news, the Tour of Georgia is back on the UCI America Tour, April 20-25. The 2009 edition of the Tour of Georgia was canceled because of a lack of sponsorship, but organizers are trying to find enough financial backing to resurrect it.

As expected, the Amgen Tour of California shifts from its original February dates to May 16-23 in 2010 with the hopes of racing in better weather and more mountainous terrain. The USA Cycling Professional Championships will take place Sept. 18-10 in Greenville, S.C.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 1 comments 1:52 PM

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Effingham County wants bicycle trails

Effingham County, Ill., has two of the nation's best high school nicknames. Why shouldn't it have a first-class bicycle trail system as well?

In recent days, I've written about St. Louis' efforts to become a more bicycle-friendly, but as a small-town boy myself, I like to give credit to smaller communities that are trying to provide more opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians.

Today, I turn your attention to the efforts of Trail Recreation Effingham County (TREC) to develop a system of trails in the Central Illinois county.

Besides being the home of the Effingham High School Flaming Hearts, the city of Effingham is probably best known to travelers on Interstates 57 and 70 for its truck stops and its 198-foot-high cross. TREC is trying to make the city and county known for its bicycle trails.

Work already has started on the Calico Trail on the western edge of Effingham.. Future phases of the system would connect Effingham with Lake Sara, located just west of the city. In the long term, the system is intended to connect Effingham with other communities such as Dieterich, Altamont, Beecher City, Mason and Teutopolis -- the home of the Teutopolis High School Wooden Shoes. You can see the proposed trail system on this PDF map.

To pay for the trail system, TREC hopes to obtain grants from the Federal Highway Administration and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and solicit local cash or in-kind contributions to be used as the 10 percent match for the grants.

TREC already has the backing of the Effingham County Board, the city of Effingham and several other towns, businesses and individuals. As with any other trails project, there are concerns. Some Kingwood subdivision residents, while they are in favor of the trail in general, are opposed to a potential route through the subdivision. According to the Effingham Daily News, the concerns are similar to those of trail opponents elsewhere:

• Fear of decreased property values.
• An increase in litter.
• Increased danger of property damage and theft.
• Traffic and parking concerns along their one-lane street.
• Danger to children exposed to criminal activity.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation has a nice summary of studies that debunk many of the concerns. Closer to Effingham, Madison County Transit has found trails have been an asset to subdivisions.

"There was a time when residents saw a trail as an invasion of privacy," Jerry Kane, the managing director of MCT, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2006. "Now people see it as a huge improvement in the quality of life. They want connections to trails. They want to live near trails."

If TREC succeeds in its goal to develop trails in Effingham County, perhaps it will inspire other smaller communities to attempt similar projects.

Labels: Illinois, trails

Roger 2 comments 1:07 AM

Monday, October 26, 2009

St. Louis gets more national attention

St. Louis ' efforts to make its streets more friendly to modes of transportation other than cars and trucks are getting more national attention.

On top of its recognition last week by the League of American Bicyclists as a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community, The Architect's Newspaper and Wired's Autopia have recognized efforts by Great Streets St. Louis  to bring the Complete Streets concept to the South Grand business district.

Great Streets St. Louis is an initiative by the East-West Council of Governments, a region planning agency that serves the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, to "trigger economic and social benefits by centering communities around interesting, lively and attractive streets that serve all modes of transportation."

Autopia reported that about $2.7 million in federal stimulus funds have been earmarked for the project. The new design reduces four traffic lanes to three, changes the timing of traffic lights, adds curb “bulb-outs” to reduce the amount of yardage pedestrians need to cross from 56 to 40 feet, and increases lighting and landscaping.

South Grand, the test site, is a busy street lined with restaurants and shops. But traffic, signage, and aging infrastructure have been a problem. Drivers routinely speed, and the street saw 80 accidents and one pedestrian death in the first eight months of 2009, according to The Architect's Newspaper

Although the city's Bike St. Louis routes do not use South Grand between Arsenal and Utah streets, where the work is taking place, it goes nearby. The changes especially are intended to help pedestrians in the business district, but I'm sure it will benefit cyclists as well.

After a test run of the new street configuration this year, Alderman Steve Conway says the feedback he's received has been running 10-to-1 in favor of the changes.

“I was concerned about getting 25,000 cars a day through at Grand and Arsenal,” Conway told The Architect's Newspaper.. “And now, we’re getting the cars through, and we’ve slowed the traffic.”

Labels: advocacy, safety, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 1:35 PM

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The joys of leading group rides

Tomorrow's Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's Hidden Lake Winery Ride is the last one I have to lead for 2009. It seems I'm never completely done with bicycle ride planning -- I've already started some work on the 2010 Tour de Stooges on May 1 in Highland, Ill. -- but I'm looking forward to a bit of a break after having having led 7 Wednesday Evening Rides.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy leading group rides. I enjoy the challenge of exploring routes for us to travel. I enjoy drawing the maps for the ride. I especially enjoy the positive feedback when I've succeeded in creating a nice, scenic route.

But it does take a lot of work.

Yesterday, I drove my car over most of tomorrow route, which will take long-route riders from Hidden Lake Winery near Aviston, Ill., to Highland and back. I was fortunate to have had a lunch meeting in Highland, so I could kill two birds with one stone.

Most of the roads, as expected, were fine. But the problems came when I got near the winery. We've had quite a bit of rain the past couple of weeks, and a couple of creeks have overflowed their banks. Two roads near the winery -- Rocky Ford Road and Wellen Road -- were flooded. I quickly realized that even if the water susbsided by Sunday, they would be muddy messes unsuitable for road bikes.

So, late Friday and early this morning, I had to redraw the maps and redo the cue sheets. Even with programs like MapMyRide and Bikely, it still takes time to write the cue sheets and put the maps into a format suitable for prints.

I've learned over the years hat it really pays to visit the route a day or two before a group ride. You just never know for sure what you're going to encounter -- a fresh covering of gravel, flooding, bridge construction, etc.

You also totally can't totally trust the Google maps that are the engine for MapMyRide, Bikely and other similar programs. In rural areas, the road names on the maps and the road names on the signs -- assuming there are signs at all -- often aren't the same.

More than once thjis year while planning new routes for Winery Rides at the Lau-Nae Winery in Red Bud, Ill., I explroed roads that I thought were potentially good ones, only to find out the roads turn from a hard surface to dirt and gravel.

As our club's implies, there's work involved in making arrangements with restaurants and wineries to make sure they can accommodate us.

Leading a group ride requires a lot of work, but I find it rewarding. If you're in the St. Louis area Sunday, feel free to join us at 9:45 p.m. at Hidden Lake, 105 Wellen Road near Aviston,  for our ride. We'll have four routes ranging from 17 to 47 miles.

Happy trails!

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, bicycle rides

Roger 0 comments 12:07 PM

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

So, how did St. Louis become bicycle friendly?

You may be wondering how St. Louis earned its designation as a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community? Of course, there's the barebones explanation LAB provided: the city's education and enforcement efforts.

There's, of course, more to the story. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Thursday at City Hall to tout the city's honor. On a flier inviting people to the news conference, here's how city officials described how it earned the designation:

"The Leagued recognized the City of St. Louis as a standout community for its initiative and progress to become more bicycle-friendly. The BFC's reviewer were impressed with the city's accomplishments. These included creating more than 70 miles of on-streets designated bicycle lanes throughout the city and expanding connections to Illinois by developing a 3,000-foot long cantilevered bicycle land separated from vehicular traffic with the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle."

There's more to the story than that. I obtained a copy of a printed version of the city's application -- the official application was filed online with LAB -- and here's some highlights:

Engineering:

• While the city doesn't have a written policy on accommodating bicycle on city streets, the city incorporates "Complete Streets" principles into public road projects.
• The city has 89 miles of designated bike routes.
• The city has worked with Great River Greenway to develop Bike St. Louis, which consists of 77 of the city's 89 miles of bike routes.
  

Education:

• Trailnet, Green Rivers and the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation have issued public service announcements educating motorists to share the road with cyclists.
• Advocacy groups and bike shops offer educational opportunities for adults.
• Some schools participate in a bicycle safety program.

Encouragement:

•  The city supported Trailnet with its Bike to Work Day festivities in an effort to promote commuting by bicycle.
• The city's role as a host city in the Tour of Missouri.
• Activities at the Penrose Park Veldrome.

Enforcement:

• The city give training to its bicycle officers.
• The city has a liason for planned cycling events.

Evaluation and Planning:

• The city had no bicycle/motor vehicle fatalities from 2004 to 2008, and it averaged about 130 cyclists/motor vehicle crashes a year during that same span.
• The city soon will be in the process of drafting a comprehensive bicycle plan.
• The city is developing several greenways as part of a bike trail network.

The Bicycle Federation, along with Trailnet, Great Rivers Greenway, Bike St. Louis and the Grace Hill Settlement House, assisted the city with its application.

Labels: League of American Bicyclists, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 10:44 PM

St. Louis earns the Bronze

Kudos to the city of St. Louis! The League of American Bicyclists has designated St. Louis as a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community!

St. Louis earned its bronze for the city's bicycle education and enforcement efforts.

Two St. Louis-area businesses also earned honors. REI-St. Louis earned Gold as a Bicycle Friendly Business, while Velocity Cafe and Cyclery earned a Bronze.

Overall, Missouri ranks 17th among Bicycle Friendly States. Columbia once again is a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community.

Illinois ranks 11th among the Bicycle Friendly States. Chicago was named a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community, while two of its suburbs, Naperville and Schaumburg, earned Bronze.

The Land of Lincoln had four Bicycle Friendly Businesses. REI-Lincoln Park and REI-Northbrook earned Silver designations, while Spin Doctor Cyclewerks in Barlett and the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District earned Bronze.

While I'm sure the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is deserving of its award, it's my view that the Madison County Transit District has done more. Most cyclists in the St. Louis area know about MCT's extensive network of bicycle trails. In addition, MCT has bicycle racks on all its buses, and the district estimates it carries an average of 800 bikes each month.

Perhaps someone at MCT can be persuaded to fill out an application to earn a Bicycle Friendly Business designation.

Labels: Chicago, Illinois, League of American Bicyclists, Missouri, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 1:34 AM

Race Across the Sky

If you just can't get enough of Lance Armstrong, then go see the documentary "Race Across the Sky," which takes a look at this year's Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race.

Thursday's showing of "Race Across the Sky" is being billed as a one-night event. In addition to the film, panel discussions featuring Armstrong, six-time winner Dave Wiens and other elite and amateur cyclists will be shown before and after the film.

Only four theaters in the St. Louis area were chosen to show "Race Across the Sky" at 7 p.m. CDT. The theaters are:

• Edwardsville Showcase, 6644 Center Grove Road, Edwardsville, Ill.
• AMC Esquire 7, 6707 Clayton Road, St. Louis
• St. Louis Mills 18, 5555 St. Louis Mills Blvd., Hazelwood, Mo.
• AMC Chesterfield 14, 3000 Chestefield Mall, Chesterfield, Mo.

If you don't live in the St. Louis area and want to know where the movie will be shown near you, go to the NCM Fathom site, type in your ZIP code in the box near the top of the page and off you go! The movie starts at 8 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. MDT and will be shown on tape-delay on the West Coast at 8 p.m. PDT.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Leadville Trail 100, here's a brief description from the Fathom site:

At 10,000+ feet, against the misty backdrop of a former mining town, Leadville, Colo., 1400 cyclists line the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish. But everyone will count.

The race that started 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism in Leadville has now grown to a lottery cap of 1000+ competitors, many of them the world’s most elite cyclists. But the Leadville Trail 100 "Race Across the Sky" Mountain Bike Race is not just a race of man against man:  It’s man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. elements, man vs. time. A clock set for 12 grueling hours slugs through 100 miles, over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing, some two miles above sea level, through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow.  To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind the 12-hour cut off mark and be eliminated.

Armstrong won the 2009 Leadville race, knocking more than 15 minutes off of the old record, about a half hour ahead of  Wiens. You can read more about this year's race at VeloNews.

Labels: Lance Armstrong, mountain biking, movies

Roger 0 comments 12:48 AM

Friday, October 16, 2009

Cycle Route 66

Sometime later today, hardy cyclists will complete their 324-mile trek on historic Route 66 that began Sunday in Miami, Okla., and winds up in Route 66 State Park near Eureka, Mo.

The ride, sponsored by the Gateway Council of Hostelling International, is the group's first Route 66 adventure. In years past, the organization has sponsored rides such as Cycle Across Missouri Parks and its successor, Cycle Across Missouri, but the group decided to avoid the potential of searing heat and humidity in June and to link the ride of a piece of America's history.

Instead of heat and humidity, Cycle Route 66 riders have gotten a big dose of November-style weather: cool, cloudy and damp days. Still, riders seem to be enjoying the ride.

I've only seen one article about the ride, from the Waynesville Daily Guide, about the trip. The Elbow Inn in Devil's Elbow, Mo. hosted the cyclists Wednesday evening. Owner Terry Roberson says it's the first time the bar has hosted a large group of bicyclists.

"The weather has been a challenge, but the ride is still a lot of fun.” Linda Wheeler, a rider from Toledo, Ohio, told the newspaper.

After starting in Miami and traveling on an old alignment of Route 66 that went through the southeastern corner of Kansas, the cyclists stayed overnight in the Missouri communities of Carthage, Springfield, Lebanon, St. Robert and Cuba.

Although time wouldn't allow me to do the ride this year, I did play a small role in the planning of the ride. I drew the maps that cyclists are using this week. With lots of help from Tim Almstadt, who scouted the route and created cue sheets, and MapMyRide and Mapquest, I was able to draw maps with QuarkXPress. MapMyRide does a great job of providing accurate mileages, but I find I still have to draw the maps with Quark to do a suitable map intended for printing.

I just hope I did a good job and that few people got lost.

Labels: Gateway Council of Hostelling International, Missouri, Route 66

Roger 2 comments 12:42 AM

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Chicago man wants to buy back stolen bike

Charlie Dennis, a 27-year-old Army veteran from Chicago, is willing to buy back his stolen bike -- no questions asked.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown today shared Charlie's story in today's column. Charlie's Salsa road bicycle is a big part of his life. Two years ago, Charlie rode the bike from Denver to Chicago. Two weeks ago, it was stolen from his apartment complex.

"Please, it means a lot to me," pleads a sign posted outside the complex. The sign provides a phone number for the thief to call to make ransom demands and to arrange the bike's return.

I recommend you go over to the Sun-Times Web site and read the column for yourself. It's a good tale of a man's attachment to his bicycle, something all cyclists can relate to.

Labels: bicycles, Chicago, theft

Roger 0 comments 11:24 PM

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Bicycle Video Theatre

I know both of these videos have been around for a while, but I just found out about them this week, so I thought I'd share them with you.



The first is of Scottish stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill practicing the art of Bike Parkour, which The Telegraph newspaper describes as a style of riding in which people use every available urban or rural platform to choreograph a set of stunts. The aim is to move from one point to another as smoothly, skilfully and quickly as possible.

Danny's stunts are simply amazing. A tip of the hat to Facebook friend Lisa Maher guiding me to this video. Lisa's husband, Mike, is a cyclist and a former colleague of mine at The (Alton) Telegraph.



The second is of German sisters Carla and Henriette Hochdorfer, who were competing in the 2009 European Junior Champions for Indoor Cycling. The two begin on two fixed-gear bikes, then jettison one of them to perform some graceful moves.

A tip of the hat to Thomas Carter for the link to this video. TC is the originator of the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's Donut Trail Ride in south St. Louis. TC will be leading the club on the streets of St. Louis on Sunday (Oct. 11) for a visit to four or five donut shops. We'll be taking off at 9:30 a.m. from the Forest Park MetroLink Station.

Labels: bicycling, videos

Roger 0 comments 1:30 AM

Lance Armstrong inks deal with Michelob Ultra

A few years ago, when I found out Lance Armstrong was a fan of Shiner Bock, I decided to check it out. I figured that if Shiner was good enough for Lance, it was good enough for me!

I was not disappointed. It still remains one of my favorite beers.

Yesterday, I found out Lance has agreed to a three-year deal with St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch InBev to be the spokesman for Michelob Ultra.

As part of the agreement, Armstrong will appear in a new Michelob Ultra television commercial titled "Little Bumps," and he will make a cameo appearance in a second ad titled "Escalator," both which are scheduled to air in 2010. Michelob Ultra will use Armstrong's likeness on print, outdoor advertising, digital marketing programs, product packaging and point-of-sale advertising.

"I'm always making decisions that complement my active lifestyle, and this includes my beer choice when I want to enjoy a cold one with friends or when taking a break from training," Armstrong said in a press release. "I'm excited about my association with Michelob Ultra, a brand that supports cycling and running communities across the U.S. and is a favorite among active adults."

Over on his Twitter page, Armstrong briefly described his trip to St. Louis to speak before 5,000 Anheuser-Busch InBev distributors. He even posted photos of the Gateway Arch.

Michelob Ultra is a sponsor of cycling events such as the Tour of Missouri, the Hotter N Hell 100 and El Tour de Tucson, so it's natural that Anheuser-Busch InBev would want cycling's most popular figure as a spokesman.

Michelob Ultra has only 95 calories and 2.6g carbohydrates, 0.6g protein and 0.0g fat, per 12-ounce bottle. And that's what's wrong with it, in my humble view. I tried it -- once -- and found it lacking in flavor. If I wanted to drink something with that little flavor, I'd just assume drink a glass of water.

I do enjoy other Anheuser-Busch InBev products and I'm appreciative of the support the brewery has given to cycling. But I'm afraid, Lance, I won't be joining you in becoming a Michelob Ultra drinker.

Labels: advertising, beer, Lance Armstrong, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments 12:54 AM

Friday, October 02, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Economic impact

Despite a weak economy, the 2009 Tour of Missouri still managed to have an economic impact of $38.1 million, according to figures released Thursday by Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

That's up from $29.8 million in 2008 and $26.2 million in 2007. No doubt, adding a seventh stage of the race helped that figure.

Throughout the week, up to 500,000 spectators were estimated to have watched the race at one of the 11 host cities or somewhere along the 600-mile route which passed through many communities in Missouri. In 2008, about 434,000 people saw the race.

The study, conducted by IFM Sports, noted spectators from outside Missouri spent $20.6 million.

Not everyone is thrilled about the impact of the Tour of Missouri. Marci Bennett, a member of the Missouri Tourism Commission from St. Joseph, said the economic impact isn’t worth the cost for cities to sponsor the beginning or end of a race.

“It’s just a whole lot of work for 15 minutes,” Bennett said in an Associated Press story, referring to how fast the cyclists speed through towns.

Kinder is hoping the commission will continue its commitment to the race. The contract with Medalist Sports to run the race expired after this year's event.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 12:26 AM