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Tour de Grape canceled

Unfortunately, the next three weeks got a little bit easier for me tonight. That's because HavenHouse St. Louis, a not-for-profit agency that provides housing for the families of children in St. Louis-area hospital, decided to cancel the Tour de Grape, which was scheduled for May 12-13. Here's the statement just posted on the ride's Web site:

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that the Tour de Grape, originally scheduled for May 12-13, 2007, has been cancelled. If you already have signed up for the ride, your fee will be refunded shortly.

We thank you for your interest in the event and in HavenHouse St. Louis. ...

While I'm disappointed about the decision, it was a learning experience for me and for HavenHouse. We learned a lot about the ins-and-outs about trying to put on a major fund-raiser, especially in a region that has a wide variety of fund-raisers.

I had the privilege of working with Kathy Sindel, HavenHouse's executive director, and Julie Gaebe, HavenHouse's development director. Kathy and Julie put a lot of energy and dedication to a worthwhile cause, and I applaud the work they've done in building HavenHouse.

Kathy and her husband, Charley, are active cyclists, and I had the pleasure to ride with them as well as with Larry and Mary Jo Keith back in October when we scouted the second day of the event that toured the French Colonial regions of Missouri and Illinois. Larry, Charley and Mary Jo also put a lot of hard work into the event, and I hope to see them often on road.

The committee that planned Tour de Grape has a lot to be proud of, despite the cancellation of the event. I'm sure the lessons learned will help HavenHouse develop successful fund-raising efforts in the future.

Here's some pictures that I took during our scouting trip. It's a shame cyclists will be missing these scenes:


The historic Bolduc House in Ste.
Genevieve, Mo., dates from the 1700s.


The Pierre Menard home near
Chester, Ill. Menard was the first
lieutenant governor of Illinois.


The Mississippi River bridge leading
to Chester, Ill.

Labels: Tour de Grape

Roger 1 comments 10:59 PM

Friday, January 26, 2007

Busy, busy, busy

The Tour de Stooges and the Tour de Grape are more than three months away, the Tour de Belleville is about six months away, and the Tour de Coal ride is about eight months away. But I haven't written much here because of planning and other projects related to those three rides.

Because of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation's Bike Swap Meet on Sunday at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Ill., I had to pick up the pace on getting the brochure on Tour de Stooges ready to go. I normally don't print those until late February or early March, but the meet and the deep discounts we're offering for early registration have forced me to get them printed this week.

The swap meet also forced me to attempt to fix the problem with the mailing list for the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society so I can get the word out about the meet and upcoming events. I had to download an update to the Dada Mail program we use to send the newsletters, and as far as I'm aware, just about everyone received it.

I will be spending all day at the Tour de Grape booth at the meet. I have to work solo because the rest of the ride main organizers will be recovering from HavenHouse St. Louis' annual HopeFest auction that raises money for the group, which provides lodging for the families of children receiving treatment at St. Louis-area hospitals. Meanwhile, Gateway Council of Hostelling International-USA Executive Director Mark Cockson and hardy volunteers will be giving out information about that group's great rides, including Tour de Stooges and Cycle Across Missouri.

From what I understand, some people over at STLBikeFed were a little concerned about having the event in Illinois instead of Missouri. I don't think that's a big worry. People from Missouri are used to coming to Illinois for weekend bicycle rides, and it's not that difficult to drive from downtown St. Louis to Collinsville. I'm certain the Gateway Center will be a much nicer venue for the event than the previous sites, and it will help build the visibility of STLBikeFed on this side of the river.

On Monday and Tuesday, I met with organizers of Tour de Belleville and Tour de Coal.

This year's Tour de Belleville will be Friday, July 13, and will feature routes of 7 and 14. Money raised from the event will be used to purchase emergency phones for the Richland Creek Greenway/MetroLink Trail. Last year was the first year for the event, and it drew about 500 cyclists.

Tour de Coal, also in its second year, will be Saturday, Sept. 22, in Benld, Ill. Organizers were encouraged by the turnout on a cool, cloudy day, and they're expecting a nice turnout for the event. Tour de Coal features routes of 15, 30 and 63 through the flat-to-rolling rural scenery of southern Macoupin County.

Here's hoping next week I have more time to spend on the indoor trainer!

Labels: cycling, Gateway Council of Hostelling International, Illinois, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, Tour de Coal, Tour de Grape, Tour de Stooges

Roger 1 comments 12:20 AM

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Tour de Grape press release

Julie Gaebe, the development director of HavenHouse St. Louis, is much too generous in calling me the organizer of the Tour de Grape bicycle tour, because she and a host of others are putting a ton of work in effort to make this fund-raising ride a success. Nevertheless, I'm passing along the press release she wrote about the event:

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First Annual Tour de Grape Is a Beginning of Season Joy Ride for Cyclists

The first annual Tour de Grape to benefit HavenHouse St. Louis is planned and ready for action as a two-day, 100 mile pledge cycling tour of the wine areas near Farmington and Ste. Genevieve, MO over May 12 and 13, 2007. Participants pay a modest $25 registration fee and collect minimum pledges of $250 each, and prizes will be awarded to individuals and teams raising the most money for HavenHouse’s programs and services.

HavenHouse St. Louis provides lodging, care and support services for up to 33 families, or 100 people, each night in their 32,000 sq. ft. facility in Creve Coeur. “The actual cost of our program (room, meals, transportation to area hospitals and support services) is $75 per family per night. Families may receive vouchers of up to $50 per night, and half of the families’ remaining $25 obligation is paid by third parties such as Shrine temples, Medicaid or health related foundations,” explains Kathy Sindel, Executive Director. “We rely upon the generosity of individuals and the success of events like the Tour de Grape so that we can serve more than 1,500 families next year.” HavenHouse provides what a family needs to rest, regain their strength and focus on their critically, chronically or terminally ill child.

The Tour de Grape is the perfect brainchild of a committee including organizer Roger Kramer, USA Cycling Certified Coach Chris Mileski, and route chairs Charley Sindel and Larry Keith. “Over half of the families that travel to HavenHouse for their child’s hospitalizations in St. Louis actually reside in Missouri or Eastern Illinois and last year, 15 families from the route areas stayed at HavenHouse as guests. We feel that we are including our extended family with this event,” says Kathy Sindel.

“We know this ride is early in the season, so it is a great way for cycling enthusiasts to prepare for a great year of riding,” says Kramer. “On day one, participants will ride one of two routes around the hills of Farmington, and on day two, they will enjoy the history and scenery near Ste. Genevieve and the Illinois areas from Chester to Fort de Chartres as they choose two routes of different lengths.” Lunches are served both days, and an awards dinner on Saturday will recognize the people raising the most money for HavenHouse.

For more information, visit www.tourdegrape.com, www.tourdegrape.org, or www.havenhousestl.org.

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Not mentioned in the press release is the fact Tour de Grape is a Missouri Advocacy Event. That means $1 of your registration fee will go the Missouri Bicycle Federation so it can pursue improved bicycle facilities and safety for Missouri cyclists.

Labels: bicycling, Tour de Grape

Roger 0 comments 5:30 PM