Post Office Box 104871
Jefferson City, MO 65110-4871
MoBikeFed is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation
Webmaster email: webmaster @ mobikefed
.org
BikeMO--MoBikeFed's Fall Foliage Bicycle Ride Join us October 18th for BikeMO, the ride that supports bicycle advocacy in Missouri. Beautiful mid-Missouri roads, beautiful fall weather, beautiful fall leaves . . .
Peddle over to the fourth annual Bike Springfield "Follow The Leader" event Saturday at Jordan Valley Park and get in on a full cycle of activities.
Along with traditional bike rides — the Family Fun Ride and Bike Springfield — the event, sponsored by the Springbike Bicycle Club and the city, adds on a new dimension this year, says coordinator Bruce Adib-Yazdi.
"In conjunction with Safe Kids Weeks we'll have a Bike Check-Up station, a Bike Rodeo, a free kids' helmet give-away and information a safe cycling routes in the Ozarks," he explains.
What has riding done for you? It has helped me understand you can set goals that you think are beyond your boundaries, and with training and discipline, you can reach them. In 1993, the MS150 ride was a huge daunting task to ride 150 miles in a weekend, but I put that goal out there for myself and trained for it. It was a fairly easy task once I realized it and trained for it. From there, I applied those skills to what I do every day — business goals and personal goals.
Tim Riekena, an outdoor enthusiast from Chillicothe, has recently published a guide book titled, "North Missouri Mountain Biking, Hiking, and GPS Trail Guide." This 137-page guide is designed to help people find and appreciate over 80 north Missouri trail systems. These trails are all located north of the Missouri River as it flows from Kansas City to St. Louis. Trails of every type, length, and difficulty level have been researched.
[Ian] Thomas, a 43-year-old Briton who has lived in Columbia for more than five years, administers a local grant for a national project called Active Living by Design, which strives to improve health and health care across America. Thomas is responsible for activities like organizing groups of children to walk to school and encouraging them to stay fit. The Walking School Bus will begin April 18, and it will bring groups of families together, with adults taking turns walking to school with the children.
"Now all the college kids want them because they have had courier bags for the last five years and now they want the bike to go with it," said Wirtanen.
The bikes are also popular with racers wanting to work on their form, commuters who ride in rain and snow, and, increasingly, with those taking up track racing on banked velodromes.
Some who ride them on the street simply buy production track bikes from companies like Bianchi and Fuji Bicycles, while others retrofit old steel road bikes into the "fixies" now often seen parked outside hip city bars.
Fixie is short for "fixed gear," meaning the rear wheel and the pedals are connected through a single gear anchored to the rear wheel.
Unlike standard road bikes, there is no way to coast, there is only one gear and brakes are optional.
As the League of American Bicyclists says, don't just ASK for the vote--BE the vote! Brett and several other bicyclists in Missouri are doing just that.
permanent link to article: "Cyclist elected mayor of Rocheport"
posted by Brent Hugh at
4/23/2005 09:03:00 AM |comment on this article
Ride of Silence in MO May 18th
Monday, April 18, 2005
Please consider riding in a "Ride of Silence" in your area on May 18th. There are currently four locations in Missouri: Kansas City, Springfield, St. Charles, and St. Louis.
If there is no Ride of Silence near you, please consider starting one. It is a powerful event.
May 18, 2005, 7:00 pm In more than 50 cities across the U.S.A.
Join cyclists nationwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on America's public roadways.
Someone left a hand-lettered flier on my old bicycle while I visited the Central Library.
The note helped explain some of the changes I've noticed downtown. One is a lot more people are using bicycles in this area than I've seen in 28 years of riding to places near The Kansas City Star.
It used to be that people would laugh and point as I pedaled in a suit and tie. But not anymore. Despite the construction, a lot of others on bicycles are sharing the road with cars.
The note on my bike told of a natural addition. The Acme Bicycle Co. in June relocated from Lenexa to 412 E. 18th St. . . .
Acme is a place for bikers with $3,000 to $4,000 machines as well as people whose only transportation is an old bicycle. Both groups have been riding more downtown.
Will Howard, assistant to the executive director of Kansas City Rescue Mission, a shelter for homeless men at 1520 Cherry St., said a lot more men on the street are relying on bicycles for transportation downtown. Bikes get them to the labor pools where they find work, soup kitchens for food, the library and places in the evening for shelter. . . .
“There are more commuters in this part of town,” Gibson said. “That's one of the things we like to encourage — biking for transportation opposed to recreation.
“We've learned that building more highways and more streets doesn't ease congestion. It just encourages more cars. I try to encourage people to take one trip a week on a bike for errands or something they would normally use their cars for.”
The Mark J. Reynolds Memorial Children's First Bicycle Fund, founded in memory of a St. Joseph bicyclist, gives away new bicycles to children. Here is the story of one bicycle they recently gave away:
I believe that all of us, each and everyone would like to make a difference in this world.
This is a story about a young man who has done that, very well and is a great inspiration.
It was only natural to buy bikes for our first two sons, but definitely not for our third. Our son Nathaniel has Down Syndrome. Every single day, we have faced countless challenges and embraced Nathaniel's differences, while facing a sense of sadness as well. It is almost like mourning the loss of a loved one, a parent can no longer hold the same hopes and dreams. Even before his birth, we knew there would be many childhood activities that Nathaniel would be unable to enjoy with his brothers. . . .
Saturday, November 20, 2004, was the happiest day of our lives. After the presentation of the Fund, Nathaniel's name was called to come to the front, it was very emotional for Nathaniel and his family, at the thrill of seeing his shiny blue and silver adaptive bike. It has hand brakes, a wide base with 3 sturdy wheels, straps to secure his feet to the pedals. It was a magical moment to remember for ever, as he climbed on and began pedaling. We heard new laughter that we had never heard before from our son! It is amazing and beautiful to see him cruising down the street, his friends are so happy for him. One even said, now I wish I had Down Syndrome.
We are so grateful to all the people who are honoring, Mark's memory by caring on his holiday tradition. We never would have been able to provide this for him on our own, without Mark's Foundation. Nathaniel might never have been able to ride a bike.
We plan to contribute to their foundation every year, though it may be small, all small donations can carry on together allowing another biker to change another life.
Nathaniel is mostly non-verbal, but since he became a cyclist, he is learning new words. There is no way to put a price on the sense of confidence and achievements that our son has now.
Sign-up now for the third annual Kansas City Bicycle Commuter Challenge
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
During the week of May 16-20, 2005, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) will challenge residents throughout the Kansas City region to abandon their cars and bike to work as part of the third annual Bicycle Commuter Challenge (BCC). More than 240 bicyclists pedaled 12,018 miles during last year s competition and even more are expected to accept the challenge this year. Participants must register by May 15, 2005.
The goal of the BCC is to reduce traffic congestion, help improve air quality, and improve personal health. Participants will report their miles biked when they arrive at work each day. The winning team and individual will be those with the most miles biked to work. Team miles will be averaged.
As part of this year's event, random prizes will be given out daily. At the end of the week, the three teams and individuals with the most miles will also receive awards.
The BCC is a fun and competitive opportunity for citizens to explore different modes of transportation. Commuters who wish to combine bicycling with public transit will be encouraged to do so and provided information on bus routes that accommodate bikes. All Johnson County Transit (The JO) buses are equipped with bicycle racks and many KCATA routes now also have racks. Information on bus routes can be found on the web at www.kcata.org or by calling 816/221-0660.
To learn more, visit www.marc.org/bcc, or contact Aaron Bartlett, 816/474-4240.
BCC Safety Tips
Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. Plan your route by driving it first. Try a practice commute on a weekend when traffic is light to find a safe route and determine how long the commute will take. Select a good pair of shoes and appropriate clothing. Obey all traffic laws. Bicyclists have the same responsibilities as motorists. Share the road. Carry drinking water and a mobile phone. Inspect bikes for safety concerns before every trip. Store clothing and business items in a bag on the side of the bicycle. Find a co-worker or friend who bikes and commute with them. If you live a long distance from work, bicycle to the nearest transit station and ride a bus the rest of the way.
A new ride for African American cyclists in Kansas City
Kenneth Walker of the Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation recently posted:
One of my ambitions is to promote cycling in the African-American community. Well, one of my dreams came true Friday evening, when, for the first time ever, I was able to organize and ride with a group of African-American riders!!!!!!!!! I was so proud, I was about to bust.
We met at my house as I had planned an easy, short ride, since I was not sure about everyone's fitness. As we pulled out, I instantly felt the pressure that ride leaders surely feel, wanting to make sure that everyone would be safe on this ride. Turns out, everyone was fairly fit, were used to riding on the streets and settled in to a double pace line as we rode on Stadium Drive, heading towards Coal Mine Rd. We ended up riding from 30th and Van Brunt to 63rd & Swope Pkwy and back to my house. Then we rode one of the riders down into the city to his house, by 18th & Vine.
And what a response we got! People came running out of their houses, cars honked at us and pulled over to watch us go by. We even overheard one group of people standing at a corner, comment that they had "never seen any @#$* like that before" as we rode by. I know that they other riders were feeling a lot of pride, just as I was. We all realized that we were taking part in something that to our collective recollection, has not happened in our city before. We plan on doing this ride each Friday evening.
:
St. Louis cyclist Jeff Kline has a shiny new velomobile that he is planning to use on his 30-mile daily commute and for running errands.