Cycling Tips & Stories

According to astory in the Fort Madison, IA, Daily Democrat, Billy and Susan Glaspie of Kansas City were engaged at the end of last year's RAGBRAI and are now enjoying their first RAGBRAI as a married couple:

Billy has been riding since high school, dating back to 1982. Susan has only been riding for five years.

When asked if RAGBRAI was difficult even if you train, Susan said, "It's better if you train, but it's still a little tough. You can't predict wind and hills."

permanent link to article: "Kansas City couple rides RAGBRAI"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/30/2003 12:07:00 PM |comment on this article

Missourian Bruche Hibbett, who lost a leg in a climbing accident in a 2001 climbing accident in the Tetons, has completed a cross-country bicycle ride for Amputees Across America, according to a story on Jacksonville.com:

The trip started at the Pacific Ocean on May 31 and was coordinated by Amputees Across America, a national support group that promotes the journey.

The cyclists stopped at hospitals, rehabilitation centers and amputee support groups along the way to increase public awareness of amputees as people with active lifestyles.

permanent link to article: "Missourian Bruce Hibbett rides cross-country for Amputees Across America"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/30/2003 11:39:00 AM |comment on this article

Pez Cycling News has a very interesting series of three articles on hydration--particularly apropos, given our current 95-degree days:

Make no mistake about it, short of sickness or injury, NOTHING will affect your daily performance more than your hydration status. Study after study has demonstrated that even a very slight amount of fluid loss (1% body weight) results in significantly decreased performance in both endurance and power sports. In fact, my own Ph.D. research (2) found that proper hydration prior to exercise (i.e., making sure you’re not dehydrated to begin with) is more important than either fitness or heat acclimation in determining your tolerance to exercise in the heat.

permanent link to article: "Hydration"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/29/2003 10:46:00 AM |comment on this article

STLToday reports on a new pedal-powered rickshaw service in St. Louis. The rickshaw is a quadracycle with seats for four:

Eric Brende recently founded St. Louis Rickshaw as a way to move about downtown and adjacent neighborhoods at a leisurely pace, away from the main streets, away from cars that threaten the death penalty for jaywalking or driving too slowly.

"I'm hoping that people will want to use this as an alternative to a car," he says. "My hope is to raise consciousness about alternatives to our automobile addiction.

permanent link to article: "St. Louis man starts rickshaw service"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/28/2003 04:11:00 PM |comment on this article

A Reuters article reports on a speech by U.S Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson Monday:

Insurance companies should give discounts to customers who lose weight and exercise every day and the U.S. government plans to help them do it, [said Thomspon] . . . .

More than 65 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. Thompson said children as young as 8 are suffering from type-II diabetes, which is linked with obesity, poor eating habits and a lack of exercise.

A third of all cancers can be linked to a lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits, Thompson said, as can heart disease.

Thompson said he would like to see insurers, and employers who pay for health insurance, pass the costs back to those who are insured, to give them incentives to lose weight, exercise and stop smoking.

Meanwhile, a few members of the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to slash funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects in the new Federal Transportation Bill.

Does anyone see a contradiction here? permanent link to article: "Insurers, employers, and government considering plans to encourage fitness"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/23/2003 07:13:00 PM |comment on this article

The June 30th STLToday has an article about St. Louis's Riverfront Trail. permanent link to article: "Riverfront Trail in St. Louis"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/21/2003 07:25:00 PM |comment on this article

The St. Louis Post Dispatch has an article with suggestions for riding the Lewis and Clark Trail:

The Adventure Cycling Association, which calls itself "America's Bicycle Travel Inspiration Resource," has been working since 1998 to map a bicycle route. The trail and alternate routes cover some 4,618 miles of paved roads, bike paths, unpaved rail-trails and gravel roads. It crosses nine mountain passes, four national parks and overlooks dozens of rivers.

MoBikeFed has recently made available a map of a proposed alternate route to the Adventure Cycling Lewis and Clark Route in western Missouri. The proposed route stays much closer to the river throughout western Missouri.

permanent link to article: "Ride the Lewis and Clark Trail"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/21/2003 07:00:00 PM |comment on this article

Wednesday's Kansas City Star ran an article written by a participant in last week's Lenexa Midnight Ride. permanent link to article: "Lenexa Midnight Ride"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/20/2003 12:15:00 PM |comment on this article

Today's KCStar has an article about two Fairway, KS, couples who have made it a tradition to ride the Kansas City area for their breakfast:

Four years ago four of us first took an early-Sunday bicycle ride that included a stop at a Grandview restaurant for breakfast. That ride begat a summer Sunday tradition of riding the metropolitan area on a quest for the perfect pancake.

permanent link to article: "Bicycling for breakfast . . . "
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/20/2003 12:06:00 PM |comment on this article

According to a National Institutes of Health study (summarized in a ReutersHealth article), American kids are fatter than ever:

"In 1980, 6 percent of children aged 6 to 18 were overweight," [Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics,] said. "For 2000, it is 15 percent. That's two- and-a-half times what it was just 20 years ago," he said. . . .

Doctors are now finding diabetes and heart disease in children, when 20 years ago those were diseases only of adults.

Meanwhile, most Americans eat everything on their plates (whether they need it or not) and have a poor understanding of what increases or decreases risk of cancer, according to a this Reuters summary of a study by the American Institute for Cancer Research:

Only 36 percent [of adult Americans] recognize that lack of exercise is implicated in cancer, just 33 percent know that eating too much red meat is strongly linked with cancer and only 38 percent know that alcohol can increases the risk of cancer--not just liver cancer but also breast cancer.

permanent link to article: "Kids fatter than ever; can exercise lower cancer risk?"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/19/2003 11:46:00 PM |comment on this article

An Illinois reporter visiting Columbia for a conference rented a bike and rode a section of the Katy Trail:

A quirk of geography steered us to the McBaine-to- Rocheport section of the trail. This 9-mile stretch, perched along the edge of towering limestone bluffs and following the meanders of the Missouri River, is generally regarded as one of the most scenic portions of the 225-mile trail.

He reports that

The diversity of users has created an economic boon along the trail -- literal and figurative cottage industries. Bed and breakfasts, catering to riders, are flourishing along the trail.

"I can't give you a dollar figure," Holst said. "Anyone that was in this area before the trail was developed, it's a very stunning change.

"A lot of towns along the trail were railroad towns. When the railroad left, a lot of them were in poor shape. A lot of businesses have developed for Katy Trail users, bed and breakfasts, wineries and bicycle shops. Many of these towns have kind of redeveloped because of the trail."

There are restrooms and shelters located along the trail, but most amenities are offered privately.

"That is one of the things the Department of Natural Resources has stressed," Holst said. "We encourage private businesses to provide services to the users."

permanent link to article: ""
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/16/2003 02:39:00 PM |comment on this article

Today's Topeka Capital-Journal has a nice article about Larry Langley, who recently rode Bike Across Kansas and is training to compete in his age bracket in the upcoming Sunflower State Games:

Before he had kids, Langley, 47, experienced health problems requiring medication that allowed little physical exertion. The birth of his children changed things.

The Topekan decided to take up cycling to keep up with his sons, Donald, who now is 6 and Alex, who is 4.

His doctor says Langley is as healthy as he's been in 30 years.

The article has a photo of Langley on his bike simultaneously pulling one son on a trailerbike and the other in a bike trailer. permanent link to article: "Kansan prepares for Sunflower State Games"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/10/2003 10:49:00 AM |comment on this article

STLToday has an interesting article about a doctor who started bicycle commuting because his car broke down one day. Unable to find another ride to the hospital for scheduled surgery, he got out his old ten-speed and rode the distance.

Now he bike commutes almost every day the weather is good:

"My main rule is to act like an automobile. Nobody tries to hit you. Accidents occur when someone doesn't see someone else. And I'm not stupid. I don't go looking for dangerous routes. I take routes less traveled." . . .

[H]e favors biking to driving because it not only helps his heart and his health, it eases his tension and gives him time to think.

"I really enjoy it, and with three different rides throughout the day, it keeps the endorphins kicking and my mind is freer," he said.

Because Marcus continues to cycle, his riding times have improved as he has gotten in better shape. Today, it takes him 35 to 40 minutes to ride each leg, whereas it takes 20 to 25 minutes to drive the route in rush-hour traffic.

"I only lose about 10 minutes," Marcus said. "And I'm able to incorporate exercising into my daily schedule without losing much time, which is valuable."

Plus, he said, he likes biking much more because the scenery changes.

permanent link to article: "Doctor finds benefits in bicycle commuting"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/09/2003 01:32:00 PM |comment on this article

A story by the Independence Examiner tells about Troup 223's cycling trip along the Katy Trail:

Starting their summer with energy, five Boy Scouts and six leaders of Troop 223 from the Community of Christ Stone Church trekked 80 miles along the Katy Trail, from Sedalia to St. Louis, by bicycle the first week of June.

Scout Master Jim Terril, accompanied by parents and car drivers Clint Littleton and Jason White, led the Scouts on the trip, riding and camping out at places along the Missouri River despite heavy rains.

permanent link to article: "Independence Boy Scout troup bikes Katy Trail"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/07/2003 10:06:00 PM |comment on this article

John Oncken, a columnist for the Madison, WI, Capital Times, recently wrote an article about his recent bicycle trip across Missouri:

This year "The Wright Riders" (our informal name) began at St. Charles, Mo. (just west of St. Louis) on a route that would take us as far west as Booneville with overnights in Hermann, Jefferson City, Booneville (two nights) , Columbia and again Hermann. The total trip was nearly 370 miles with about half of it within sight of the Missouri River.

Unfortunately, all was not peaches and cream:

On several occasions we switched back to the highway running alongside and found ourselves the object of some rather strong language from passing motorists. "Get over on the trail" was the gist of their comments, something we didn't understand in light of the few cars on the highway.

Another cyclist who recently rode up the Missouri River from New Orleans to Minnesota had this to say about Missouri's roads:

He said many of the roads he biked to Minnesota were dangerous and did not have shoulders. He said the highways in Missouri were the worst.

It looks like we've got some work to do . . . permanent link to article: "Wisconsin cyclist rides across Missouri"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/04/2003 01:07:00 PM |comment on this article

This letter appeared in The Examiner, 15 May 2003:

Cyclists should heed the rules of the road

To the editor:

A 9-year-old Independence boy riding the wrong way on Crackerneck Road recently was involved in a collision (The Examiner, May 6, "Boy uninjured in bike vs. car crash").

The automobile driver must be commended for driving at a reasonable and proper speed. Had the driver been speeding, the boy's injuries would likely have been more serious. If more Missouri drivers would drive at safe and reasonable speeds, our streets would be far friendlier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists and for motorists!

Unfortunately, the fault in this collision must clearly be placed on the cyclist. Experienced cyclists know that wrong-way cycling is not only illegal but far less safe than riding on the right side of the road, with traffic. Accident data clearly show that wrong-way cycling leads to more car-bike crashes and the crashes that do happen are more severe.

Automobile drivers do not expect to see fast-moving bicycles coming toward them in their lane. Drivers pulling out from side streets and driveways do not expect fast-moving bicycles coming toward them near the edge of the street from the wrong direction. Drivers typically don't even look there before pulling into the road.

At average bicycle speeds on residential streets, driver reaction time is more than cut in half by wrong-way cycling. [And, because the speed of impact is increased when vehicles are going opposite directions] the forces of impact of a wrong-way crash are as much as 700 percent higher than a similar crash in which the cyclist is riding on the right side of the road, with traffic.

Bicycling is, in general, very safe. Considering the "big picture," bicycling is safer than driving and as safe or safer than walking. But cyclists who follow the rules of the road are far safer yet.

Brent Hugh
Missouri Bicycle Federation

permanent link to article: "Why wrong-way riding is unsafe"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/02/2003 10:07:00 AM |comment on this article

MU grad student Amahia Mallea has completed her ride home from Columbia to Minnesota, following the Missouri River as far as .Bismarck, ND. Amahia is doing her graduate research on the river.

Amahia wrote about a lot of interesting experiences she had along the way, and Cyclex has posted these daily dispatches on their website. They also have a collection of photos from the trip.

Here is one of Amahia's observations, which should be READ and MEMORIZED by every Missourian:

Rather than ignoring the river, Sioux City has developed the riverfront into a public space which attracts many people.

Perhaps, one day, Missouri cities will do the same?

Amahia was, of course, following the Lewis & Clark route, as many other cyclists are this summer. In Council Bluffs she met Martin, an avid cyclist who guided her through town:

Martin has plans to bike the Lewis and Clark Trail next year, as does another person who stopped us in town to inquire about my origin and destination. People are really excited about following the Corps of Discovery route and a lot of people talk to me of their intentions to celebrate the bicentennial.

On bicycle touring:

The odometer turned 500 today, even though by freeway the distance is probably one-third fewer miles. By nature, a trip like this is anything but a straight shot. Things started out tough with the injury and in retrospect I was probably a little ambitious considering both the river bluffs and the heavy load were new to me. To think that I was getting out of the saddle and working every hill like it was a race! But after creeping along and healing, I’m increasing my average miles. I’ve had to adopt a different attitude and swap power for endurance. I thought I’d be at least half way done with the trip after two weeks but its more like a quarter or a third.

Before embarking, myself and probably everyone else thought of this trip as a solitary adventure—Amahia going off into some great unknown. But is has been anything but solitary; this trip is far more social than graduate school. In fact, after two weeks, I’ve spent so much time with people that I almost wish I had more time alone. I think I’ll get that as I begin to ride more miles. Whatever the case, I’m not lonely. And the people…the people are all so good.

permanent link to article: "More about Amahia's Missouri River Ride"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/01/2003 10:00:00 AM |comment on this article

Ever wanted to use pedal power to run small appliances like a TV or sound system, or to provide a little power during emergencies?

This article from Steward Wood explains the general principles and requirements.

The main difficulty in building a pedal-power project is in finding a suitable generator. A variety of ideas for finding/making/using generators is at OtherPower.com (the same kinds of generators that work well for wind power can also work for pedal power).

One possibility is to use an old tape drive motor as a generator. You can find such motors on auction sites such as EBay by searching for "permanent magnet".

Working examples of useful pedal-powered appliances can be found here (TV), here (made from a 3-speed bike), and here (a variety of projects; see especially the laptop computer project, which has many details of construction).

The "Rinky-Dink" is a pedal-powered mobile sound system.

The East Van Chopper Fest (a bicycle-oriented block party) had a sound system powered by three cycles. You can view photos or a 5.7meg movie (MOV format).

Green Trust has an interesting collection of links to ideas about and examples of useful pedal power projects.

Trailside Dentistry (!?) has a couple of interesting pedal-powered units that you can buy for about US$75 or just look at for inspiration. permanent link to article: "A pedal-powered generator"
posted by Brent Hugh at 7/01/2003 09:39:00 AM |comment on this article