Cycling Tips & Stories

The Crusty Cassette weblog reports on a meeting with a group of middle school bicyclists:

On the Missouri side we met a junior high school cycling club from St. Louis. Great to see teachers and supporters out with 15 or more kids teaching them the joys of cycling. The school bought the cycles, and it's treated as any athletic club. The 29th was a school day, and the kids were enjoying cycling during the mid afternoon. They shared their PowerAid and snacks with us and showed us something neat a school could do to get inner city kids out on bicycles.

The club is, of course, the Dolphin Bicycle Club from Compton Drew Middle School, which was organized by MoBikeFed's very own Joe Torrisi.

Find out more about how the club was organized, funded, and run here and here. permanent link to article: "Meeting a middle school school cycling club"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/28/2005 11:13:00 AM |comment on this article

Norman Butler's business card reads "bike mechanic and bon vivant." A strange combination, perhaps, but it works for him.

Webster's New World dictionary says a bon vivant is a person who enjoys good food, drinks and other luxuries -- a fitting description of this world traveler.

On the job at Ebby Norman's Pro-Velo Cycle Sport downtown, Mr. Butler builds and repairs bicycles of all kinds.

Read the rest of the story in today's Sedalia Democrat. permanent link to article: ""Bike mechanic and bon vivant" discovered at Pro-Velo in Sedalia"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/28/2005 06:12:00 AM |comment on this article

The KCStar's Lauren Chapin (who famously wrote about the pies in the 2004 RAGBRAI) now has come up with a packing list for the 2005 RAGBRAI:

RAGBRAI is about the ride, but it's also about the camping — seven days of it in state parks, school yards, back yards, whatever grassy knolls are available. Take whatever creature comforts, within reason, you'll need for a week on the road.

Remember to put your name on everything, just as you did in grade school.

The 2005 RAGBRAI is July 24-30.

In accompanying article, Chapin writes about her experience riding RAGBRAI:

Rolling through the gentle terrain of central Iowa, I eyeball Cobalt Hill. An aberration on the prairie, it looms big and steep, and I wonder whether I have met my Goliath.

All around me, fellow cyclists begin a chorus of groans, grunts, whoops and hollers as they begin their ascent up the two-lane blacktop. The whoops and hollers end, replaced by the sounds of granny gears being engaged, of lungs sucking in gulps of heavy, late July air. The higher we climb, the more the highway shoulder becomes crowded with riders who've abandoned the mission and are walking.

permanent link to article: "What to pack for RAGBRAI?"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/27/2005 11:40:00 AM |comment on this article

Eldon Olson has enjoyed an active life.

He was an avid skier and biker for over 35 years.

Then he was struck with Parkinson's disease.

"I could hardly walk," said 73-year-old retired insurance agent from Buffalo. "When I checked into the Mayo Clinic three years ago they saw parkinson's in my face. The most important thing the doctors told me was to remain as active. The less you use your legs, the less you will be able to use your legs."

Olson and his wife, Jan, were at Hoigaards in St. Louis Park when he noticed an EZ-3 Trike on display.

He gave it a test ride and discovered peddling the Trike was easier than walking.

"He came in looking for furniture and left with a bike," said Hoigaards Sales Associate Linda Lemke.

Read the rest of the story on the Minnesota Bike Trails web site. permanent link to article: ""Pedaling with Parkinson's""
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/26/2005 07:55:00 AM |comment on this article

Todays' KCStar has an article on exercising with Type I and Type II diabetes:

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 30 years ago, [Dr. James] Desemone works with many athletes with diabetes, from hockey players to cyclists.

The key, he says, is setting up a regimen using insulin injections or a pump to mimic the functioning of a normal pancreas during exercise, adjusting how much insulin is given to the body and when. Drinking enough liquids is also important to maintain correct blood sugar levels, he said.

Paula Harper, 61, started the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association in 1985, a nonprofit group with about 3,000 members in North America and Europe. A longtime runner and nurse who has competed in 35 marathons, Harper was frustrated trying to come up with the right formula to keep her blood sugar level up over long distances.

"When I started, it was all trial-and-error," said Harper, a diabetic since 1972. "And trial-and-error can get you in trouble sometimes." . . .

A recent National Institutes of Health study showed that 58 percent of people with pre-diabetes - where blood sugar is elevated but not to the level of type 2 diabetes - staved off type 2 diabetes by exercising moderately 30 minutes a day and by cutting their weight by 5 to 10 percent.

"I so firmly believe exercise is important for everybody, but especially for diabetes," Harper said. Her organization is "trying to help people with type 1 exercise safely and give those with type 2 the motivation to get off the couch."

Harper's Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association is online at http://www.diabetes-exercise.org.
permanent link to article: "Bicycling with diabetes"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/21/2005 09:13:00 AM |comment on this article

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports:

University of Missouri-Columbia Professor Frank Booth says people can improve their health by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking into a restaurant rather than buying food at the drive-through window or - in the case of MU students - walking to Booth’s class.

"I’m not talking about a marathon," Booth said. "I’m talking about 30 minutes of exercise per day. We can reduce some really chronic diseases 30 percent."

Booth, a biomedical sciences professor, will teach a new course this fall that MU thinks might be a first for American universities. "Inactivity and Chronic Disease" will teach students how not being physically active can increase their chances of developing health problems and how public policy influences activity.

permanent link to article: "UMC professor teaches new course on "Inactivity and Chronic Disease""
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/21/2005 06:59:00 AM |comment on this article

Ever wonder what Missouri law requires of motorists who interact with bicyclists on the road?

Most of us studied this back in Driver's Ed or when we took our first driver's exam. But maybe your recollection is a little rusty . . .

Are bicyclists allowed on the road? What do I need to do when I pass a bicyclist? Can I pass a bicyclist when approaching the crest of a hill?

Visit our new section on "Missouri law for motorists interacting with bicyclists" to find out. permanent link to article: "Missouri law for motorists interacting with bicyclists"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/19/2005 05:48:00 PM |comment on this article

You are biking on a city street, two or three feet out from the curb to avoid the cracked pavement and broken glass, a couple of feet out from the parking lane to avoid getting "doored." In other words, you are taking the lane which under Missouri law you are required to do. And in your mirror you see a sport utility vehicle coming up behind you, and you can sense that it is going to crowd you—the driver doesn't want to give you any clearance.

Click here to read the rest of this article by Russ Willis of the St. Louis Bicycle Federation. permanent link to article: "Is the law on your side?"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/19/2005 07:21:00 AM |comment on this article

A KCStar article reports:

Kansas City got some good news this year when it learned the area soon would meet federal air standards.

And it got some surprising bad news: As a result, it would lose millions of dollars that were helping clean the air.

Local officials now worry that the area could slip back into violating federal standards without the $4.5 million a year in federal help. . . .

Without the funding, the area could lose some bus routes and will not be able to begin installing synchronized traffic lights on the Missouri side.

permanent link to article: "Good news: Kansas City has cleaner air; bad news: funding to keep it that way lost"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/16/2005 01:03:00 PM |comment on this article

An article in the Montreal Gazette outlines new research into the affect of urban design on health:

[A]ccording to the new study, by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, city-dwellers are twice as likely to walk, bike or take public transit to work as are the people of commuter-land. Even city-dwellers could stand to lose weight, however, with just half able to claim a healthy weight. But a rate of 50 per cent still beats Canadians in small towns and rural areas, of whom only 44 per cent say they are at a healthy weight.

Routine physical activity is linked to the lower rate of obesity in major urban centres in Canada, said Dr. Anthony Graham of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. . . .

The problem is suburbs have been designed to make it hard to incorporate physical activity into one's daily life. A survey done in 2000 on what municipalities of various sizes did to encourage physical exercise found small towns, under 10,000 population, offered the least. Only eight per cent required safe pedestrian and bicycle routes when new housing areas are developed. . . .

Research is building to show both the brain and the body need exercise, and that this is on the basis of "use it or lose it." In a recent study, the risk of Alzheimer's disease was found to rise 30 per cent for each hour per day of television watched. "We don't think that television causes Alzheimer's," said Robert Friedland of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. "We think [television] is a marker of an inactive lifestyle."

To get away from an inactive lifestyle, communities of whatever size need to adopt some of the

following features: paths and trails for walking, running and cycling; wide sidewalks; short blocks; well-lit streets; compact communities; buildings close to the road; civic commitment to an active lifestyle.

permanent link to article: "Rural and suburban areas less healthy than cities due to lack of walking and bicycling accommodations"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/16/2005 09:54:00 AM |comment on this article

A Rolla Daily News story tells how Dan Fuhrmann came to own Route 66 Bicycles in Rolla:

For Dan Fuhrmann, owning Route 66 Bicycles and encouraging others to ride is more than just his business, it's his life. . . .

After graduating from UMR in December of 1999 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, he worked as an engineer in the automotive industry until June of 2002.

"During the time I spent working as an engineer my weekend mountain bike racing fueled my passion for the sport," he said. "I just kept getting more and more into it - at times it literally consumed me."

That passion, along with a little help from his brother Brian, eventually led Fuhrmann back to Rolla and Route 66 Bicycles.

permanent link to article: "Rolla Daily News story on bike shop owner Dan Fuhrmann"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/16/2005 07:37:00 AM |comment on this article

The KCStar has a detailed article about the recovery of mountain biker Anne Hjelle, who was injured by the same mountain lion that killed Mark Reynolds, a St. Joseph native.

Hjelle and Nicholls, who recently received a Carnegie Medal of Honor for her heroism in the battle with the lion, are becoming reluctant celebrities as they are flooded with requests for interviews and speeches. They have appeared on "Larry King Live" and "Inside Edition."

"In the beginning, I thought it would be a short thing and my life will get to be back to normal, but I don't know what normal is," said Hjelle, who attributes much of her ability to cope to her Christian faith. "I don't feel this need to go around and blab my story. If we are able to do something good, then OK."

Hjelle has joined the board of the Mark J. Reynolds Memorial Children's First Bicycle Fund, which is raising money in Mark's honor to give away bicycles to children who need them.

The Reynolds Fund is headed by Mark's mother, Dona Reynolds, of St. Joseph. permanent link to article: "The story of Anne Hjelle, the mountain biker injured by a mountain lion"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/07/2005 10:12:00 AM |comment on this article

You may have homeowner's or renter's insurance and motor vehicle insurance. But have you ever thought about bicycle insurance? Here's what lawyer & cyclist Bob Mionske has to say about it:

In general, there is no such thing in the United States as "comprehensive bicycle insurance," although it's pretty common in the United Kingdom. In fact, a quick internet search indicates that "consumer report" type comparisons exist between policies offered by different firms in the UK. Unfortunately, to obtain comparable insurance in the U.S. requires that one "cobble together" coverage from a variety of different sources.

permanent link to article: "Bicycle insurance?"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/06/2005 03:01:00 PM |comment on this article

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation announced:

Complimenting and completing a day devoted to bicycles in St. Louis will be the showing of "Pure Sweet Hell," a brand-new, one-hour documentary by Brian Vernor and Willie K. Bullion, on Cyclocross bicycle racing on Sunday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m. at the new Moolah Theatre.

Admission is $5 and the theatre is located at 3821 Lindell Blvd., 63108 in St. Louis.
Filmmaker Brian Vernor and featured bicycle maker Rick Hunter will be in town at the Bike Swap in Maplewood all day and at the showing at Moolah.

The film will also be playing in the Kansas City area at Glenwood Art, 9575 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS, (913) 642-4404 on Monday, February 14th at 7:45pm. Tickets are $5 in advance and $6.50 at the door.

The filmmaker will also be at the Kansas City showing.

"Pure Sweet Hell" is a documentary about the sport and community of American cyclocross racing aims to expose the passion, pain, and pleasure of this underground sport. Through creative cinematography and eclectic, original music, this film captures what makes cyclocross, its culture, and community such a distinctive movement.

Cyclocross is a bicycle racing event like no other. It combines the elements of road cycling, cross country running, and mountain biking. Usually raced on grassy fields in the fall and winter, Cyclocross is an obstacle course race on your bike. It began in the 1940s and the first world championship was held in Paris, France in 1950. February 13th is also the date of STLBikeFed's Swap Meet.

More info about the film here. permanent link to article: "New cyclocross documentary screens in St. Louis February 13th and Kansas City Feb 14th"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/05/2005 08:35:00 AM |comment on this article

Bicycle Touring Road and Trail Wisdom ranks these as the "Top Ten Danger Zones" for bicyclists:

1. Drivers turning suddenly.
2. Potholes.
3. Loose gravel.
4. Car doors.
5. Pedestrians and the scantily clad.
6. Dogs.
7. Wet angled iron railroad tracks.
8. Drainage grates.
9. An unaware cyclist.
10. The un-strapped helmet.

permanent link to article: "Ten things to watch out for when bicycling"
posted by Brent Hugh at 2/01/2005 10:12:00 PM |comment on this article