Monday, February 15, 2010

St. Louis Open Streets

Earlier today, Gene Bisbee at the Biking Bis blog wrote about how ciclova-style celebrations -- in which a thoroughfare or park is open only to bicyclists, pedestrians and skaters for one or more weekend days -- are catching on in the United States. Gene's post cited celebrations in Kansas City, Mo.; San Jose, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle.

The inspiration for many of those events has been Bogota, Colombia, which closes 70 miles of streets to motorists every Sunday and holiday and opens them up to cyclists, pedestrians and skater, hence the term ciclova.

St. Louis is getting in on the act.

This year, the city will present Open Streets 2010, which it bills as a "part bike tour, part block party, a great time for exercise, people watching, and just enjoying our region’s wonderful spring and fall mornings."

The Open Streets 2010 route consists of the Forest Park bicycle trails, Lindell Boulevard, Grand Boulevard and Locust Street. The on-street portion of the route goes from Skinker Boulevard at Forest Park to the Gateway Arch. Family, cultural and fitness rest stops are planned along the route.

The first of the events will be May 1, and will be tied into the St. Louis Cardinals-Cincinnati Reds game at Busch Stadium that afternoon. The above streets will be closed to motorists from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Metro-East Park and Recreation District and the Great Rivers Greenway District will have a pre-game party from 11 a.m. to noon at Clark Street and Broadway, and the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will have free and secure parking available for bicyclists at Busch Stadium for those wanting to watch the 12:10 p.m. game.

More Open Streets 2010 events are slated for June 13, Sept. 19 and Oct. 9.

Labels: bicycling, St. Louis

Roger 2 comments links to this post 2:01 PM

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Bicycle battle of the sexes

Two of St. Louis’s top cyclists will go head-to-head Saturday in an indoor race for charity. The inaugural Rollin’ for Charity Indoor 100 Bike Race will pit man versus woman and mountain bike versus road bike in a race to raise cash and ride 100 miles on bicycle rollers at Alpine Shop’s Kirkwood store.

Chris Ploch, the reigning and four-time Missouri State NORBA Mountain Bike Champion, and Carrie Cash, the current Missouri State Cyclocross Champion, will be competing for more than four hours to raise funds for the ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter and the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

The event begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Kirkwood store, 440 N. Kirkwood Road. The challenge is part of the store's Outdoor Fitness Festival.

According to a press release, Alpine Shop will give $350 to the winner's charity and $150 to the other charity. Both cyclists -- who work for Alpine Shop -- are hoping people will donate to their causes, and you can find links to them at the Alpine Shop site.

Ploch will be riding a mountain bike, while Cash will be riding a road bike.

Labels: charities, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 9:07 PM

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Bike I-64 and don't forget your layers!

Your only chance to bike the new section of Interstate 64/Highway 40 between Kingshighway in St. Louis and Interstate 170 is Sunday. On Monday, the highway reopens to motorized traffic, and you won't be able to bike it again.

For those of you hardy enough to bike, dress in layers. The high temperature is only expected to hit 45 degrees tomorrow.

From noon to 4 p.m., the eastbound lanes of the highway will be open to bicyclists, while the westbound lanes are open to pedestrians.

From 7:30 to 10 a.m., Big Shark Bicycle Co. is sponsoring an individual time trial on the eastbound lanes. From 8 to 10 a.m., the St. Louis Track Club is sponsoring a 5K run on the westbound lanes.

The two-year project to rebuild I-64/Highway 40 between Kingshighway and I-270 is being completed several weeks ahead of schedule, so there's plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Labels: St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:37 PM

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Don't forget about Cranksgiving!

BicycleWORKS, in conjunction with Will Bike for Charity, Trailnet and Big Shark Bicycle Co., are putting on the 4th annual Cranksgiving ride this Sunday, Nov. 15.

The ride begins at noon outside the Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Road in St. Louis. The goal of the ride is to buy $10 to $25 worth of food to be used by the Food Outreach to help people dealing with cancer or HIV/AIDS.

Labels: bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 7:23 PM

Friday, November 06, 2009

Interstate 64/Highway 40 to open early

Good news is ahead for cyclists who travel along the Interstate 64/Highway 40 corridor -- and for the thousands of motorized commuters who use the road. The Missouri Department of Transportation announced today that the highway will reopen Dec. 7 -- 24 days ahead of schedule!

Last year, MoDOT allowed bicyclists and pedestrians on the rebuilt stretch of the Highway between Interstates 170 and 270 the day before it open, and MoDOT is planning a similar event for Dec. 6. Last year's event was conducted by the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, but MoDOT is going on its own this time.

From noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 6, bicyclists will be allowed on the eastbound lanes of the highway between Kingshighway and Hanley Road. You better enjoy it while you can; once the highway reopens to motorized traffic, bicycles won't be allowed on the road.

Big Shark Bicycle Co. is sponsoring a cycling time trial race on the highway from 7:30 to 10 a.m. that day, and you can sign up for the time trial through Big Shark.

The new section of the highway will be dedicated at 3 p.m. near the Tamm Avenue overpass. No doubt the highlight of the ceremony will be designation of  I-64/Highway 40 between McCausland and downtown St. Louis as the Jack Buck Memorial Highway as MoDOT honors the legendary St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster, who died in 2002.

In a related item, cyclists who regularly ride Clayton Road in the city of Frontenac may want to have their voices heard in a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Frontenac City Hall about the future of the road.

Because of the I-64/Highway 40 construction, a two-lane road with wide shoulders used by cyclists became a three-lane road with a center-turn lane to accommodate additional vehicles on the road. The city is considering whether to keep the center-turn lane or go back to the original striping. If you have questions, you may call City Administrator Bob Shelton at 314-994-3200 or e-mail your comments to lross@cityoffrontenac.org before Thursday.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 4:11 PM

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Hitting the Donut Trail ... again

The Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's 2009 season came to an end today with a trip to St. Louis to take on the Donut Trail developed a few years back by member Thomas Carter. It was a good way to end our season!

Unlike the Tour de Donut, the Donut Trail Ride is not a competitive event. It's a ride of about 23 miles that starts at the Forest Park MetroLink station and passes by five donut shops as it snakes its way through South St. Louis.

More than 20 people started the trek. I showed up late because I missed the MetroLink train that would have gotten me there on time, but I was able to catch up with the group at our first donut stop, World's Fair Donuts at 1904 S. Vandeventer Blvd.

Upon reaching Tower Grove Park, five riders decided to do their own thing, but the rest of us headed to Eddie's Southtown Donuts at 4701 S. Kingshighway, only to find it was closed.

On to the next stop, St. Louis Hills Donut Shop, 6917 Hampton Ave. Fortunately for us, St. Louis Hills was open, and then we made our way to Drive-In Donuts, 6525 Chippewa St. and devoured some more donuts.

The fifth shop we pass on the Donut Trail, O'Fashion Donuts at 5120 Southwest Ave. in The Hill neighborhood, had never been open when we've passed it on previous Donut Trail Rides. Given that history, we were going to skip it and turn on Marconi Ave. to head back toward Forest Park. But I noticed there were cars parked by the shop, and urged Thomas to lead us to the shop.

Lo and behold, it was open! I enjoyed a custard-filled donut, and Thomas thorough enjoyed his cheesecake donut.

So, which shop has the best donuts? They're all were good, but an informal poll I took indicated World's Fair Donuts had the best!

Combine the tasty donuts with good company and some colorful trees, and you have a recipe for a enjoyable bicycle ride.

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 3 comments links to this post 11:09 PM

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 links to this post 1:35 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 links to this post 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 links to this post 1:34 AM

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

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 links to this post 12:54 AM

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Related events

If you're coming to St. Louis for the Tour ofMissouri, which begins Monday, or the Gateway Cup series of bicycle races, which begins Friday, you may be interested in a couple of events:

On Thursday night, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation is presenting the movie "Veer," a look at the bicycle culture in Portland, Ore. The movie will be shown at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd. in University City. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the movie begins at 7. Admission is $10, and you can buy advance tickets through the Tivoli's online ticket site. You can watch the trailer below:



On Friday night, the Soulard Art Market hosts a reception for the "Spoked!" exhibition of bicycle-related art. The opening reception is from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Soulard Art Market, 2028 S. 12th St. in St. Louis. An encore viewing party takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

The gallery is near the Stage One course as it makes its way on Russell Street through the historic Soulard neighborhood, and it will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Labor Day so Tour of Missouri spectators can view the exhibit.

Don't forget your bicycle! On Sunday, Trailnet will be putting on the Giro and Tour of Missouri Bicycle Ride in St. Louis' Italian neighborhood, The Hill. Registration takes place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Shaw Visual and Performing Arts Community Education Center, 5329 Columbia Ave. Routes of 22, 30 or 43 miles will be available. After the ride, you can enjoy the Gateway Cup Giro Della Montagna, which also takes place on The Hill.

If you want to explore St. Louis on your own, check out the Bike St. Louis network on marked bike routes on city streets.

Of course, there are non-cycling events going on in the St. Louis area. Those include the Illinois-Missouri college football game Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome, the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Big Muddy Blues Festival at Laclede’s Landing. For information, visit www.explorestlouis.com.

Labels: St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments links to this post 9:44 AM

Sunday, August 16, 2009

World Naked Bike Ride photos!

No, sorry, they're not here. I had to work Saturday night and once again missed all the raw glory of St. Louis' second version of the World Naked Bike Ride.

However, you can find photos of the 2009 ride at the Riverfront Times. A word of caution: Many of the photos are not suitable for the workplace or children.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 10:00 AM

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Upcoming St. Louis-area rides a diverse lot

If you live in the St. Louis area and can't find a bicycle ride the next few weekends, you're not looking hard enough.

The most provocative of the rides will be Saturday, Aug. 15 -- St. Louis's second version of the World Naked Bike Ride. Cyclists will start gathering at Tower Grove Park's Stupp Plaza at 7 p.m. and take off at 9 p.m. for a route that ends at the Atomic Cowboy. Cyclists are encouraged to "bare as your dare," although it should be noted that publicly exposing certain parts of the anatomy is against the law in St. Louis. The goal of the ride is to protest oil dependency, promote a comfortable body image and to raise awareness of cyclists. A slideshow from the 2008 ride is available at the Riverfront Times. (Note: Images on the site may not be appropriate for children or the workplace.)

If you're into scavenger hunts, the Urban Assault Ride on Sunday, Aug. 16, is for you! New Belgium Brewing is behind the ride, which requires teams of cyclists to take on physical and mental obstacles at checkpoints along the route. The ride begins at 9 a.m. in Forest Park, and proceeds will be used to benefit Trailnet and BicycleWORKS.

Also, Trailnet is doing its I Scream for Ice Cream Ride on Aug. 16 out of The Cyclery and Fitness Center, 2572 Troy Road in Edwardsville. Registration is from 7:30 to 9 a.m., and the routes of 22, 34 or 43 miles include a stop at Annie's Frozen Custard in Edwardsville. And as we all know, ice cream is the rocket fuel of cycling!

The following weekend is a big one for charity rides. On Saturday, Aug. 22, the 15th Operational Weather Squadron at Scott Air Force Base is putting on Miles for Marty, a benefit in honor of Master Sgt. Edward Martin, who suffered a massive stroke while on duty in 2006. Money from the ride will go to the Disabled Amercan Veterans. Routes of 6.5 miles on the base that can be repeated and a 30-mile route from the base to Freeburg and back are available.

Also on Aug 22, the Missouri Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America will hold the WolfRide 2009 at Bolm-Schuhcraft Park in Columbia, Ill. Routes of 50 and 100 miles are available, and the $45 registration includes food, entertainment and free massages after the ride.

For those of you who want to start riding at the crack of dawn, the Illinois Center for Autism in Fairview Heights is planning the Bike at Dawn ride on Sunday, Aug. 23. Cyclists will start registering at 5 a.m. at the Illinois Center for Autism, near Longacre Park in Fairview Heights, and take off at 6 a.m. on routes of 8 and 15 miles.

Summer festivals are a big part of the lifeblood of Southwestern Illinois Catholics, and one of the region's biggest church festivals is the Kirchenfest, the annual celebration at St. Paul Catholic Church in Highland. This year's Kirchenfest will include the first-ever KirchenRide, which will include routes of 17 and 40 miles in the rural countryside around Highland. Registration begins at 7 a.m. Aug. 23 with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

The climax -- at least in terms of numbers -- of the St. Louis cycling calendar is the 45th annual Moonlight Ramble on Aug. 28-29 in downtown St. Louis. The ride routinely draws more than 10,000 riders, who take off on the streets of St. Louis shortly after midnight Sunday. Proceeds from the ride benefit the Gateway Council of Hostelling International.

No excuses! Get out and ride!

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments links to this post 11:21 PM

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Section of St. Louis Riverfront Trail to close

A short segment of the Riverfront Trail at Maline Creek will be closed for repairs for about 45 days starting sometime in early August, requiring riders to find alternative routes around the construction, which includes city of St. Louis streets.

Click on the image to download a map from the Great Rivers Greenway District.

The Maline Creek location is about 7 miles north of Biddle Street parking lot for the Riverfront Trail and about 4 miles south from the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

The rest of the 11-mile Riverfront Trail remains open and is not affected by the construction. For questions or concerns about the closure, please call Grace Hill of AmeriCorps at 314-584-6703.

A tip of the helmet to St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation Executive Director Patty Vinyard for speading the word. Patty says the trail is open for the time being, but she says the closing is imminent as soon as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases a work order.

Labels: St. Louis, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 10:52 AM

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Speeding cyclists, beware!

If you're a cyclist who likes to ride fast on the 8-mile trail in Creve Coeur County Park in west St. Louis County near Maryland Heights, Mo., you may be facing a ticket and a fine.

KSDK-TV, Channel 5, in St. Louis reported today that starting next week, speeding cyclists could get a ticket, be fined up to $1,000 and may get time in the county jail.

"If I see you traveling at a high rate of speed and you're passing people, not being considerate of others and causing almost collisions, you can get a ticket and possibly go to jail for it," Park Ranger Keith Kaiser told KSDK.

A series of complaints and accidents have led to the crackdown, Kaiser said. This week, bicylists are receiving citizen complaint alerts about the fines for speeding.

Some bike trails have speed limits, but the KSDK report doesn't say whether the Creve Coeur trail has a speed limit.

One bicyclist, Ruth Marner, says there has been increasing resentment.

"People don't want us on the roads. They swear at us when we're on the roads and then they don't like us on the trails so I think we need to compromise and be courteous," she told KSDK.

Labels: advocacy, safety, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 7:29 PM

Sunday, July 12, 2009

MCT dedicates new portions of Quercus Grove Trail

As of this weekend, cyclists now can ride on bike trails or designated on-road bicycle routes all the way from downtown St. Louis to Staunton, Ill. -- a one-way trip of 44.8 miles.

On Friday and Saturday, Madison County Transit dedicated two sections of the MCT Quercus Grove Trail, a section between Staunton and Worden on Friday and a section between Worden and Hamel on Saturday. The two new sections tie into an existing section of the MCT Quercus Grove Trail between Edwardsville and Hamel. Click on the image of the map to see details of the new sections of the trail.

Here's how you can ride from St. Louis to Staunton, a Macoupin County community best known among St. Louis-area cyclists as being the host city of the Tour de Donut bicycle race:

• St. Louis Riverfront Trail, from the Laclede's Landing section of St. Louis to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. Distance: 11 miles.
• Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and Chain of Rocks Road to the MCT Confluence Trail. Distance: 2.8 miles.
• MCT Confluence Trail to the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site: 3.6 miles.
• New Poag Road from the Lewis and Clark site to the MCT Goshen Trail in Edwardsville: Distance: 6.9 miles.
• MCT Goshen Trail to the MCT Nickel Plate Trail. Distance: 1.25 miles.
  
• MCT Nickel Plate Trail to MCT Quercus Grove Trail. Distance: 1.6 miles.
• MCT Quercus Grove Trail to Staunton. Distance: 17.6 miles.

Generally speaking, it's an easy trek from St. Louis to Staunton. Using the route I plotted, the most significant hill is on New Poag Road on the northern edge of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus. I don't think the hill is all that difficult, but if you want a more gradual climb with a few extra miles, you can turn south from New Poag Road onto the MCT Bluff Trail, turn east on the MCT Nature Trail, then turn north on the Nickel Plate Trail in Edwardsville to the Quercus Grove Trail.

North of Edwardsville, there's a hill on the Quercus Grove Trail after you cross Old Carpenter Road. After that, it's a pretty flat trek to Staunton.

The stretch between Hamel and Staunton has few trees, meaning there's little to block the wind. That's good if the wind's at your back. Not so good if that wind's in your face.

There are places near or or near the Quercus Grove Trail to grab a bite to eat or something to drink. The Springer's Creek Winery is located on the trail at Chapman Avenue in Edwardsville. Scotty's Route 66 Bar and Grill is along the trail in Hamel. The Yellow Dog Saloon is a couple of blocks west of the trail on Wall Street in Worden.

Just south of Staunton at Illinois Route 4 is Decamp Junction, which has the added attraction of a softball field that conjures up images of "Fields of Dreams" because the chain-link outfield fence is only a few feet away from farm fields.

Staunton has several bars and restaurants. The restaurants range from Hardee's to Italian and Chinese restaurants.

While the bicycle/pedestrian-only part of the trail ends at Sixth Street, the trail goes up Union Street to the Duda Garden. As I've written about before, a group of Staunton-area trail boosters are trying to develop the ITS Trail, which would start at Duda Garden and head up to Benld and tie into an existing short trail between Benld and Gillespie.

The long-term goal is to build trails through Macoupin and Sangamon counties that would link St. Louis and Springfield, Ill. The (Springfield) State Journal-Register recently wrote about the ITS Trail and its goal to boost economic and residential development in Staunton and nearby communities.

Madison County Transit, of course, deserves tons of credit for developing such an extensive system of trails on old railroad rights-of-way. But the people of the Staunton area also deserve credit. The community has embraced the Tour de Donut, and that has encouraged interest in bicycling in that community. On Saturday, more than 1,200 cyclists descended on Staunton for Tour de Donut, and people in that community know bicyclists can have a sizable economic impact on a community.

Labels: Illinois, MCT Trails, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 10:17 PM

Saturday, June 06, 2009

"Spoked!": An art show for bicycle fans

The Soulard Art Market and Contemporary Gallery is calling for submissions to “Spoked!” a juried exhibition of local artists. Exhibition runs from Sept., 4 through October 2. S.A.M. is looking to represent a select group of artists in our Contemporary Art Gallery, to exhibit alongside our 15 resident artists.

Here's what the gallery has to say about the event: "In conjunction with the Tour of Missouri, which is a world-class cycling event, we are proud to announce our exhibition “Spoked”. We are seeking artworks that feature bicycling as a theme for inclusion in our show. Our gallery is on the race route, and we have special hours and events planned that are sure to draw a crowd. The eyes of the world will be looking our way and we’re gearing up for the liveliest show this town has seen. Get crankin’!"

The gallery looking for any medium of artwork (painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry) that in any way features bikes or cycling. There is no submission fee, and full details can be found at the event's Web site.

Artists are being asked to consider donating bicycle-themed artwork to a charity silent auction. All proceeds will go directly to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi program which assists children of incarcerated parents. Each artist who donates an artwork valued greater than $100 to the auction will have his name entered into a drawing to receive 2 tickets (value $500) to the Tour of Missouri Gala, a black tie affair presenting the best 125 cyclists from around the world. The auction as well as the gala will be held on Sept. 6 at the City Museum.

The gallery is located 2028 S. 12th St. in St. Louis and is on the course for Stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri on Labor Day (Sept. 7).

At left is a piece I'm considering entering in the contest. It's called "Night Ride, Without Lights, in Southern Illinois." Click on the image to see a more detailed view! The inspiration for this piece is the piece "Midnight on the Ocean" featured in The Three Stooges film "Pop Goes the Easel."

I'm sure you can do better!

Labels: art, bicycling, St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:11 PM

Free ride ... and free food!

Very early in my journalism career, I learned the importance of the adage "free food is good food."

This Sunday, you can get free food and a free bicycle ride!

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, in partnership with the Gateway Council of Hostelling International, will be putting on the Bike the Bridges ride. The ride begins at 8:30 a.m. at the top level of the Gateway Arch Parking Garage in downtown St. Louis.

You can do a 4.5-mile ride across the nearby Eads Bridge, a 8-mile ride across the McKinley Bridge or a 26-mile ride across the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Starting at 10 a.m., light refreshments will be served at the parking garage. You may be wondering who's paying for the ride and the free food. Well, it's the Great Rivers Greenway District, which provided a grant for the event.

At 8 a.m., a League of American Bicyclists instructor will be giving a Confident Bike Riding workshop at the parking garage.

Labels: bicycle rides, St. Louis, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation

Roger 1 comments links to this post 11:54 AM

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Around the horn ... again

Here's a few items that might be of interest to St. Louis-area bicyclists:

Another bicycle-pedestrian crossing at Forest Park: As part of the reconstruction of Interstate 64-U.S. 40 in St. Louis, a new bicycle-pedestrian tunnel is linking linking Oakland Avenue to Forest Park. The tunnel replaces an older tunnel with sharp turns that had to be removed because of the reconstruction project.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the tunnel is not completely finished, but it's done enough that bicyclists and pedestrian can use the tunnel.

Bike trial proposal gets opposition: The Green Rivers Greenway District is seeking to build a $2 million, 2.6-mile trail from Greensfelder Park in University City to Shaw Park in Clayton. But it seems the project is being opposed by some people in the upscale suburb of Ladue.

The folks like the idea of bike paths, but they don't like the idea of the trail becoming a thoroughfare for bicyclists and pedestrians. You can see a video at KMOV-TV.

Before rejecting the trail out of hand, I would recommend opponents talk to people and businesses along the Katy Trail and the Madison County Trail system to get both sides of the story.

Tour of Missouri field gets a boost: Following the announcement of No. 1-ranked Quickstep’s participation recently, the current world No. 2-ranked team, Saxo Bank of Denmark, has been announced for the third Tour of Missouri professional cycling race, scheduled for Sept. 7-13, according to a press release from the Tour.

The addition of Saxo Bank, which is led by superstars Fabian Cancellara (Olympic and world champion time trialist) of Switzerland; brothers Frank and Andy Schleck (winner of last weekend’s Leige-Bastogne-Leige) of Luxembourg and Germany’s Jens Voigt, will mark the seventh entrant expected to line up at the 2009 Tour de France this summer. It will mark Saxo Bank’s first time racing at the Tour of Missouri.

Meanwhile, tour directors are seeking volunteers for the event. You can sign up for a wide range of jobs online.

Labels: St. Louis, Tour of Missouri, trails

Roger 1 comments links to this post 11:51 PM

Thursday, April 23, 2009

New Forest Park bike trail tunnel

For many, many years, cyclists and runners who used the 7.5-mile Forest Park Bike Trail in St. Louis had to navigate a hazardous intersection at Hampton Avenue to travel around the city's crown jewel park.

Those days are over. As part of the Interstate 64/U.S. 40 reconstruction project, a tunnel has been built so cyclists and runners can go beneath Hampton Avenue. The tunnel opened Tuesday, St. Louis Post-Dispatch transportation writer Elisa Crouch wrote in her Along for the Ride blog. You can see a photo of the tunnel there.

Labels: St. Louis, trails

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:04 AM

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Wheels of Glory III

The last (at least for now) of Will Cycle for Charity's Wheels of Glory indoor cycling series takes place Wednesday (March 11) at the Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Ave. in St. Louis. The doors open at 5 p.m., registration begins at 7 o'clock, and racing begins at 8 o'clock.

Registration is $5, and proceeds will go toward the St. Louis City Open Studio and Gallery, a non-profit arts organization located in Tower Grove Park that is dedicated to providing accessible arts education to children in a safe environment. Funds generated from the Wheels of Glory race will go toward operational expenses and scholarship awards.

Will Cycle for Charity is a nonprofit group of St. Louis cyclists who are donating their time and skills for St. Louis-area charitable organizations through cycling events.

Labels: advocacy, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments links to this post 7:06 PM

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

2009 St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride

For those of you who love to ride in the buff -- or as bare as you dare or as the St. Louis Police Department lets you -- St. Louis' version of the World Naked Bike Ride will take place Saturday, Aug. 15. Last year's event, the first time the WNBR had taken place in St. Louis, drew about 300 people.

The goals of the event are to promote alternatives to motorized transportation and to promote a healthy self-image.

In case you need a reminder, here's what's considered lewd and indecent conduct in St. Louis: "The exposure of one's genitals, buttocks, vulva, pubic hair or the female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola."

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 8:57 PM

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Will Cycle for Charity

A new group in the St. Louis area is promoting cycling for charitable causes.

Will Cycle for Charity is a nonprofit group of St. Louis cyclists who are donating their time and skills for St. Louis-area charitable organizations through cycling events.

Will Cycle for Charity will put on its second event, Wheels of Glory II, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Atomic Cowboy nightclub. The doors open at 5 p.m., registration starts at 7 p.m., and indoor bicycle racing begins at 8 p.m. Here's the press release as written by Carrie Zukoski:

Who: Will Cycle for Charity, competitors and fans

What: Wheels of Glory II: indoor bicycle races

When: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Races start: 8 p.m. --– ?

Where: Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63110

Why: Many worthy charities exist in the region. Will Cycle for Charity, a new, all-volunteer group hopes to engage the cycling community in fun, inexpensive fundraisers for some of these organizations with ongoing events. Proceeds from this event and others will be donated to various local organizations. For more information, visit http://www.willcycleforcharity.com.

Details: Participants pay $5 to race against the clock and each other, two at a time. Two trainer bikes are set up with timers with a large video screen in front that depicts a racing scene for the cyclists to race against.

A portion from next week's event will go to a children's charity in the St. Louis area. After the races, DJ Ashley Vulture will provide entertainment from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Labels: advocacy, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 2:55 AM

Friday, November 14, 2008

Need something to do this weekend?

If you're a St. Louis bicyclist needing something to do Saturday night, here's a couple of suggestions:

Bicycle Bash -- A Salute to Cycling: The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will be putting on its Bicycle Bash -- A Salute to Cycling from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the William A. Kerr Foundation, 21 O'Fallon St. in St. Louis on the edge of the Laclede's Landing district. The party will celebrate another successful season of bicycling fun! Entertainment by Big Budget Blues Band. Bring a dish for the buffet table if you like, or just show up. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 at the door. Proceeds will go toward the Bike Fed's ongoing work.

Einstein on a Bike Trivia Night: Trailnet, the St. Louis-based organization that promotes the construction of trails in the St. Louis region and bicycle riding through its Bicycle Fun Club, will be putting on its first-ever Einstein on a Bike Trivia Night at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Central Reform Congregation, 5020 Waterman Blvd. in St. Louis' Central West End. The good news for Trailnet -- but the bad news for you -- is that all the tables are booked for the event. That means unless you know somebody who needs an extra player for his or her team, you're out of luck.

On its Web site, the Bike Fed apologizes for scheduling its bicycle party the same night as the Trailnet event, but the group is hoping that many people can still make both events.

Beyond this weekend, mark your calendar for these events:

• Highway 40 West End Opening Celebration: The STL Bike Fed and Big Shark Bicycle Co. are planning the Ride 64 bicycle event, which tiedto the Missouri Department of Transportation's West End Opening Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 14. The west section of the rebuilt Interstate 64-U.S. Route 40, better known as Highway 40 to the locals, reopens to motorized traffic on Dec. 15.
  
  Bike 64 consists of a fun ride on the westbound lanes of the highway from noon to 2:30 p.m. and a 9-mile time trial, also on the westbound lanes of the highway, also from noon to 2:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required for both events. The cost of the fun ride is $25 for adults and $10 for kids 15 and younger and go up to $35 and $15 respectively after Dec. 3. The cost of the time trial is $25. Proceeds from the fun ride will go toward the Bike Fed's efforts to install bike racks in St. Louis city and county.
  
  You better ride it while you can. Once the road reopens to motorized traffic, bicycles are prohibited from interstate highways in Missouri.
  
  
• Cranksgiving Day Food Ride: St. Louis BicycleWORKS will be putting on its third annual Cranksgiving Day Food Ride at noon Sunday, Nov. 23 at BicycleWORKS' shop at 4109 Shenandoah Ave. in St. Louis. Last year, 72 riders donated hundreds of food items to those who needed them. BicycleWORKS hopes to triple the amount this year. Each participant on the 5- or 25-mile routes will be asked to buy at least $20 in food and be able to carry the goods with them on their bicycles. The rain date is Sunday, Nov. 30.
  
  
• Friends of Hostelling Trivia Night: The Gateway Council of Hostelling International, which puts on the Moonlight Ramble, Tour de Stooges and other great cycling events, will put on a Trivia Night on Jan. 16 at the Maryland Heights Community Center at 2344 McKelvey Road in Maryland Heights, Mo. The cost of the event is $120 for a table of eight, and all proceeds will be use for the development of a hostel in north St. Louis.
  
  
• Tour de Stooges: Speaking of the ride that I lead for the Gateway Council, the 12th edition of the Tour de Stooges will take place Saturday, May 2, in Highland, Ill. I expect to update the site in the next week, and registration for the event likely will open in the neighborhood of Jan. 1.

Labels: bicycling, Gateway Council of Hostelling International, St. Louis, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, Trailnet

Roger 1 comments links to this post 2:49 PM

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Bicyclists, dog walkers to get first dibs on Highway 40

Construction on a stretch of Interstate 64/U.S. 40 -- better known as Highway 40 to St. Louis-are residents -- is running about a month ahead of time.

Because of that, bicyclists and dog walkers will get the first chance to legally use the stretch of highway between Interstate 170 and Interstate 270 before that stretch of Highway 40 opens. There's anecdotal evidence that bicyclists and dog walkers already are using the reconstructed highway, but be warned that it's illegal to do so.

No date has been set for the Highway 40 fun day, but the Missouri Department of Transportation is planning a Friday press conference to talk about progress on the road.

KTVI-TV, Channel 2, in St. Louis reports the Highway 40 fun day will include a 5k run, a time trial for bicyclists and then be open to the public for everything from dog walking to family picnics.

One of the groups happy about the fun day is a Cub Scout troop from Incarnate Word School in Chesterfield, Mo. The troop has had to detour around the shutdown zone to get to ride to the Big Shark Bicycle Co. in St. Louis.

"It'll be a nice, big, wide-open piece of new concrete, give people a chance to come out and ride their bikes, walk around and legally walk their dogs," project spokesman Dan Galvin told Channel 2.

Right after the Highway 40 fun day, the section of Highway 40 from I-170 to I-270 will reopen to cars and trucks. The second phase of the $535 million project from I-170 to Kingshighway in St. Louis, will shut down immediately for about a year.

Labels: bicycling, Missouri, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 7:35 AM

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Guess who's the best bike club in St. Louis?

The Riverfront Times published its annual Best of St. Louis edition today, and the winner of the Best Bike Club for 2008 is none other than the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society!

As the webmaster and a longtime ride leader for the BABES, I think I can speak for the group that we are truly honored to earn the designation!

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Fridays are for pub crawls and Saturdays for movies. Wednesday is a night to go riding. And there's no better outfit to tag along with than the Belleville Area Biking & Eating Society. ... After the haul everybody whips off their helmet and Spandex and whistles for barbecue plates and pitchers or whatever happens to be on tap for the evening.

While we're happy to earn the designation, you need to be aware that our Wednesday Evening Rides are finished for 2008. There simply isn't enough daylight left for people to get off work, get to the ride site and get good mileage in. The Wednesday Evening Rides will resume in April 2009.

However, we still have three more Winery Rides coming up, the first of which is at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Hidden Lake Winery near Aviston, Ill. On Oct. 5 and Oct. 26, we will have winery rides out of the Ravissant Winery in Belleville. Check out the Web site for more details.

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:37 PM

Friday, September 12, 2008

Stage 7: Meet me in St. Louis

For those of you who are coming in from out of town to watch the final stage of the Tour of Missouri, I have one piece of advice: Bring your rain gear to watch Sunday's Stage 7.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike are expected to come into the St. Louis area sometime Saturday and stay around well into Sunday. The National Weather Service is predicting a 100 percent chance of rain Sunday. At least one media outlet is predicting up to 5 inches of rain to fall as a result of Ike.

Nevertheless, I welcome you to St. Louis. I've been lucky to live for all but two years of my life within 50 miles of the Gateway Arch, and I think St. Louis is a great city.

As I mentioned last year, St. Louis has taken its share of punches over the past four decades with population losses and crime, but St. Louis still has a lot of things going for it. In addition to the Gateway Arch, one of the world's most distinctive monuments, we also are home to a world-class symphony, a world-class zoo, a world-class botanical garden and the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won more World Series titles than any other team, except for the New York Yankees.

Last year, the final stage of the Tour of Missouri drew about 50,000 people, tour organizers estimated. I thought that was rather good, considering about 45,000 people were watching the Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs in Busch Stadium and about 60,000 people were watching the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers play at the Edward Jones Dome.

This year, only the Rams are in town at the same time as the Tour of Missouri. The Rams take on the world champion New York Giants at noon at the Dome. Stage 7 is slated to begin at 2 p.m. and end about 4:50, minimizing conflicts on the streets and MetroLink, the city's light-rail system, between football fans and cycling fans.

Still, I might give yourself time to get there and to give yourself time going home. Even with the rain, a bicycle might be the best way to get around the city Sunday. To that end, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will be offering a bicycle parking service at the Soldiers' Memorial at 13th and Chestnut streets.

This year's Stage 7 begins and ends on Market Street in front of the St. Louis City Hall, rather than Union Station, where the finish line was last year. City Hall is about four blocks east of Union Station.

However, we'll start our tour of the 13.5-mile Stage 7 circuit at Union Station. The Tour of Missouri will be making five trips around the circuit. In the first half of the 20th century, Union Station was the second-busiest railroad station in the nation, surpassed only by Chicago's Union Station. Today, it's a center for shopping and dining, but the station still adds a distinctive touch to the the city's skyline.

The course begins with a short downhill, the makes a long, gradual climb up Market Street to the A.G. Edwards headquarters at Market and Jefferson streets. The route passes Harris-Stowe State College and Saint Louis University's new basketball arena before reaching a tricky part of the course.

After being on nice, wide Market Street, the peloton will have to squeeze into a single lane on the ramp from Market Street to Forest Park Boulevard. Making things a little more difficult is that there are grates on the left and right sides of the ramp that can easily gobble a road tire.

The course opens up again on the right lanes of tree-lined Forest Park Boulevard, which serves as home to businesses, apartments and single-family homes. The route continues on Forest Park Boulevard past Barnes-Jewish Hospital, underneath Kingshighway and into Forest Park itself. I wouldn't recommend trying to watch the race between Kingshighway and DeBalievere Avenue because access to that part of the route is limited.

At DeBalievere, the route turns left into Forest Park. It goes to the left of the Missouri Historical Museum and continues on Lagoon and Fine Arts drives past the St. Louis Art Museum and the St. Louis Zoo to Government Drive. From there, the circuit continues on Theatre and Grand drives before turning right onto Union Boulevard. The route continues on Union until it turns right on Delmar Avenue.

At first glance, the Delmar Avenue stretch of the course doesn't seem all that impressive. It has a look of a neighborhood that has seen better days, but if you look closer, you will see signs that Delmar Avenue is coming back to life. The neighborhood is trying to build on the success of the University City Loop district, which is west of the Tour of Missouri route on Delmar.

The route continues on Delmar and across Kingshighway, then turns right onto Euclid Avenue and into one of St. Louis' most distinctive business and residential areas, the Central West End. The CWE is home to several sidewalk cafes and coffee shops, and no doubt will be extremely busy Sunday. Duff's, at 392 N. Euclid, has a reputation for having one of the city's best Sunday brunches. A bit further down the street is Coffee Cartel, rated by many as St. Louis' best coffee shop. There are several other choices, so I'm sure you can find something that will keep you nourished as you watch the race fly past you.

Last year, the route turned left on Lindell Boulevard and passed some of the most distinctive architecture of the city. This year, the route stays on Euclid to Forest Park Boulevard. The racers will turn left onto Forest Park Boulevard and go east until reaching Compton Avenue between the St. Louis University and Harris-Stowe campus.

From there, the circuit turns right on Olive Street. Olive Street is another street that had been in decline but is trying to stage a comeback. On 21st Street, just north of Olive, is the Schlafly Brewery and Tap Room, home to some of the city's best microbrew beer. If you look hard enough, you will find some bits of interesting architecture along Olive.

The route turns right on wide Tucker Boulevard, then turns right on Market for toward the start-finish line.

Compared with what the cyclists encountered on Stage 6, the hills on this circuit will be a piece of cake. The hills on Market and Olive are long, gradual grades.

Also Sunday, there will be Family Fun Village features Demonstrations and entertainment throughout the day, including live music, Kid’s Safety on Bikes Program, St. John’s Helmet Fittings and low cost helmets available to purchase. Check out the Metro bike rack, and get a free smoothie from Trailnet’s Bike Blender.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour of Stage 6, and see you Sunday!

Labels: St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments links to this post 3:01 PM

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

It's Moonlight Ramble time again!

St. Louis' original nighttime cycling party, the Moonlight Ramble, takes place this weekend. Cyclists will begin taking off from the Soldiers Memorial Plaza at 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The Moonlight Ramble has been a St. Louis fixture since 1964, when Dick Leary took off on his own for a midnight ride through St. Louis. It is the major fundraiser for the Gateway Council of Hostelling International, one of the two largest organizers of group rides in the St. Louis.

How big is it? Anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 take place in the ride each. By comparison, the Gateway Council's second largest ride of the year, the Tour de Stooges, draws about 550 to 700 people a year.

Mark Cockson, the group's executive direct calls the event "the best party on wheels." Registration and a pre-ride celebration begins at 8 p.m. After the ride, the Gateway Council will have an after-ride party featuring Fat Tire beer, ice cream from Crown Candy Kitchens, Fitz's root beer and "sliders for riders" — White Castle burgers.

Most years, the Ramble heads toward the city's Central West End or toward South St. Louis. This year's ride will head into North St. Louis, near the site of the council's proposed 89-bed hostel. The council recently moved into new offices at 2810 N. 14th St., just across the street from Crown Candy Kitchens.

"There's the incredible sense of achievement you feel when you first learn to ride, when you push those boundaries your parents set and start exploring other neighborhoods and places. The Moonlight Ramble brings back those same feelings," Mark told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The cost of the ride is $25 for adults and $10 for children. As of Wednesday afternoon, online registration is still open for the Moonlight Ramble. Otherwise, you can sign up the day of the ride. Some St. Louis-area bike shops also are selling tickets.

The Post also mentioned several other rides in the region, and I was happy to see the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society was included among them.

Labels: bicycle rides, Moonlight Ramble, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 2:23 PM

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Registration open for Gateway Cup

The Tour of Missouri isn't the only big bicycle racing event taking in the next few weeks in the St. Louis area. The annual Gateway Cup series of criterium races takes place Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29-Sept. 1)

Details are a bit skimpy on the Gateway Cup's new Web site, but you can sign for individual races or the entire series at 2WheelTech. The cost for men is $40 per race or $130 for the entire series. For women, the cost is $25 per race or $80 for the entire series.

For detailed information about the four days, you can download a PDF flier through USA Cycling. Once again, races for everyone from kids to Pro, Cat 1 and Cat 2 are available.

The Gilded Age Tour de Lafayette takes place the evening of Friday, Aug. 29, in St. Louis' Lafayette neighborhood. On Saturday, Aug. 30, the Gateway Cup moves to downtown St. Louis for the Midwest Testing Tour of Washington Avenue, an afternoon and early evening event.

The Giro Della Montagna takes place the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 30, on The Hill, St. Louis' Italian neighborhood. Trailnet's Bicycle Fun Club also will have a ride on The Hill that morning.

The Gateway Cup closes the morning and afternoon of Labor Day (Sept. 1) with the Emerson Motor Loop Bicycle Race in University City's Loop business district.

It should be an exciting weekend of bicycle racing, and it will definitely whet you appetite for the Tour of Missouri, which ends in St. Louis on Sept. 14.

Labels: cycling, racing, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 4:20 PM

More revealing photos of the World Naked Bike Ride

Leave it to The Riverfront Times, St. Louis' leading alternative weekly newspaper, to show more of the St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride than any other media outlet. You can see video and a slideshow of the event. You should be warned: The video and many of the photos in the slideshow are not workplace friendly!

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:47 AM

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Modest coverage for World Naked Bike Ride

Well, there was more news than normal on St. Louis TV channels Saturday, meaning that the World Naked Bike Ride got modest coverage rather than maximum exposure. Still, the ride got coverage, which is what organizers Stephanie Co and Mariah Pittman sought.

KMOV-TV, Channel 4, posted a story and video ofthe event. The KMOV cameras were aimed strategically so you couldn't see those who dared to bare. I know I'm a little biased here, but I have to say one of the more modestly dressed cyclists shown on the video was really stylin'! He was wearing the 2008 Tour de Stooges T-shirt!

KSDK-TV, Channel 5, also posted a brief story. KSDK also says it has video of the event, but I was unable to view the video tonight.

Neither KTVI-TV, Channel 2, nor KPLR-TV, Channel 11, had coverage available online tonight. since I was working Saturday night, I did not see either of their newscasts.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch also wrote a story, but as of this writing, had not posted any photos. But Beth, the author of the Verbosity VeloCity blog, wrote about her experiences on the ride and posted pictures at her Picasa site. Beth warns that some of the photos may not be suitable for the workplace.

Finally, a video from the ride showed up on YouTube on Sunday. I include it below (Note: The video may not be appropriate for some workplaces):

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:25 AM

Saturday, August 02, 2008

World Naked Bike Ride reveals more details

In case you're thinking about riding tonight in the St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride, organizers have unveiled more details about at the ride's blog.

The biggest change is that the ride won't start at Tower Grove Park's pool pavilion. Instead, the ride will begin at 9 p.m. at the park's Stupp Center and Memorial Garden near Grand and Arsenal streets. The body painting, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., will start at the Stupp Center and Memorial Garden as well.

Also, people who are using cars to bring their bikes to the ride are being asked not to park in Tower Grove Park because the park closes at 10 p.m. Instead, they should park on nearby streets.

(I'm sure you can argue that taking a car to the World Naked Bike Ride runs counter to the goal of protesting dependency on oil, but I guess that's a concession that some people are willing to make to avoid overexposure to errant motorists, among other things.)

And, of course, organizers officially are telling people to cover up their private parts -- defined by the city of St. Louis as being the genitals, buttocks, vulva, pubic hair or the female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola -- but to go for maximum exposure. People who decide to ride au natural will be told there could be consequences.

In another concession to some body coverage, organizers also recommend you wear a helmet. Lights also are recommended, and cyclists are being told to obey the rules of the road, including stopping at stop lights.

In case you need more exposure to the ride, KMOX-TV, Channel 4, aired a preview of the event Friday night. You can watch the segment there as well as an extended interview with organizers Stephanie Co and Mariah Pittman.

I won't be there because I have to work, but I'm sure St. Louis TV stations will give the ride "maximum exposure" because Saturday historically is a slow news day for TV stations.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 1 comments links to this post 11:20 AM

Thursday, July 31, 2008

St. Louis police to watch out for naked bike riders

Police have issued a warning to organizers of Saturday night's St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride that cyclists who bare it all risk the possibility of being arrested.

KTVI-TV, Channel 2, reported Thursday that it's against the law to show private parts in public. Co-organizer Mariah Pittman says organizers will warn cyclists of the possibility they'll be subject to arrest, but that they will be encouraged to ride as "bare as they dare."

Not surprisingly, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered the story in more depth on a story posted Friday morning. It also published a preview of the event Thursday. Somehow, I'm not surprised a story about the World Naked Bike Ride is the top e-mailed story at the Post-Dispatch's Web site, stltoday.com.

Mariah pushed the ride's agenda of protesting oil dependency and promoting a comfortable body image during her interview. The segment also includes interviews with a couple of locals, including one who finds the ride "offensive, very offensive" because of the families who frequent Tower Grove Park, where the ride begins.

Speaking of which, the ride is slated to begin at 9 p.m. at Tower Grove Park's pool pavilion. Body painting will take place starting at 7 p.m. at a more discrete section of the park, according to the organizer's blog. The route will tour parts of South St. Louis and downtown before heading to the Atomic Cowboy club at 4140 Manchester Ave. in St. Louis.

There's no doubt that organizers and participants hope they won't get a raw deal from St. Louis police.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 11:53 PM

Monday, July 14, 2008

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge's financial struggle

Funding cutbacks for the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge have Madison Mayor John Hamm concerned, the Granite City Press-Record reports. Trailnet officials recently had told the mayor that it didn't have enough money to pay the Madison Police Department to open and close the bridge. He said it had threatened to close the bridge except on special occasions.

On June 23, Trailnet curtailed the bridge's hours: "Due to funding limitations, the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge will be open between 9 a.m. and dusk until further notice. When the bridge is closed, please use the McKinley Bridge to cross the Mississippi River."

Last week, Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack addressed the Madison City Council about the financial concerns. Here's an excerpt from the Press-Record story:

In an interview later, she that the shortfall occurred after funding from Great Rivers Greenway, a publicly funded park district which services St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, dried up.

Mack said Trailnet receives less than 12 percent of its funding from public sources and that the organization has received money from federal earmarks in the past.

Mack said Trailnet would be talking with local shareholders about the importance of keeping the bridge open within four to six weeks.

Hamm said it's important the bridge stay open because grants that the city received to improve the Illinois parking lot were tied to the bridge staying open.

The city of Madison owns the bridge, and Trailnet leases the bridge from the city. The bridge was constructed in 1929 and once carried Route 66 across the Mississippi River. Madison had operated the bridge as a toll bridge from 1939 to 1968, when the nearby Interstate 270 bridge took away too much traffic for the bridge to remain profitable.

Trailnet has had other problems with the bridge in recent years, most notably with car break-ins at the Missouri parking lot. Because of that, the Missouri parking lot now is open only for special events. Otherwise, people who drive cars to the bridge have to park either at North Riverfront Park, about 1.4 miles south of the bridge, or at the Illinois parking lot on Chouteau Island. Much of the Riverfront Trail on the Missouri side of the river remains closed because of cleanup from the recent flooding.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation also has reported on this issue, also citing the Press-Record story.

Labels: Illinois, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis, Trailnet

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:31 PM

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

World Naked Bike Ride coming to St. Louis

Trends always are a bit slow in coming to St. Louis -- mullets remain a popular hair style in pockets of the St. Louis area -- but the city is getting its version of the World Naked Bike Ride.

The St. Louis edition of the World Naked Bike Ride is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, at the city's Tower Grove Park. The ride is slated to begin at 9 p.m. at the park's Pool Pavilion near the north entrance at Tower Grove Avenue and Magnolia Street. The route is not complete as of yet. If you have any suggestions of where you'd like to go, shoot organizers Stephanie Co and Mariah Pittman an e-mail at nakedbikestl@gmail.com.

The goals of the World Naked Bike Ride are to protest oil dependency, promote comfortable body image, increase awareness of cyclists in a motor-driven world and provide exercise and fun for all those who participate.

Anybody can participate, including children, the organizers say. Bikers are encouraged to go as "bare as you dare." It is not mandatory to go completely naked, though encouraged. In fact, participants can come fully clothed if they wish. Body paint -- a body painting "bonanza" will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at the park -- and other creative body coverings are encouraged, as are helmets and other protective biking gear. Also, if you would like to participate without a bike, any sort of transportation that is not a car (i.e. skates, skateboards) can be used.

To promote the event, St. Louis organizers will be hosting a screening of the movie "Indecent Exposure to Cars: The Story of the World Naked Bike Ride" at 9 p.m. July 26 at the Community Arts & Media Project center at 3022A Cherokee St. in St. Louis Donations of $1-2 dollars for cyclists and walkers and $3-5 for drivers are requested, or body paint in place of dollars.

You can see a trailer of the movie over at YouTube. The trailer has mild bits of nudity, although probably nothing worse than you've seen on network TV.

Am I going to the World Naked Bike Ride? Probably not. One, I probably have to work that night. Two, I'm simply not that comfortable with my body image!

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 12:53 PM

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

On the Donut Trail ... Part II

Anyone who's visited this Web site for any length of time knows that I think donuts and cycling are a sweet combination!

The 20th anniversary of the original Tour de Donut is coming up July 12 in beautiful Staunton, Ill., and I couldn't think of a better way of getting ready for the event by taking part Sunday in the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's Donut Trail ride through South St. Louis, then participating in Staunton's Fourth of July celebration parade.

I wrote about the test run of the Donut Trail ride back in November, and about a dozen -- an appropriate number for a donut ride -- cyclists showed up for our first official version of the ride.

Yes, that's me in the photo taken by ride leader Thomas Carter leading the peloton from World's Fair Donuts to Eddie's Southtown Donuts in South St. Louis!

The route was sightly altered from the first version of the event, but the idea was still the same. The plan was to hit five donut shops, although only four were open. Unlike the Tour de Donut, there were no time bonuses to be had by eating lots of donuts, so most of us were content with eating one donut per shop. I did splurge and ate two at my favorite of the shops, the Donut Drive-In.

After spending five days pushing along my heavy mountain bike on the Katy Trail, it was amazingly easy to ride my road bike on the somewhat hilly course.

After the Donut Trail ride was done, it was off to Staunton where I had a new cycling challenge. I rode a trike for the first time. With the help of another trike rider, we hauled several signs promoting Tour de Donut, the upcoming Tour de Coal in Benld, Ill., and the proposed ITS Trail between Staunton and Benld.

At first, I wonder whether I was going to able to pull such a big load, but I soon figured out how to position my feet on the pedals and get the thing roling. I think paradegoers were facinated by the contraption, designed by John Fritsche.

I love the way Staunton has embraced the Tour de Donut. The city once again will have a Rib Festival to coinside with Tour de Donut and take advantage of the numerous out-of-town visitors, and Tour de Donut participants will be happy to know that Main Street in downtown Staunton has been repaved, giving cyclists a much smoother ride!

Speaking of Tour de Donut, I was delighted to find out that my nephew, Julius Parod, will be bringing his mom's (and my sister's) tandem with him to Tour de Donut this year. Yes, my nephew and I will be teamming up on the tandem, and we believe we have a solid shot of winning the tandem division this year!

Julius just finished the mountainous Bike Virginia ride last week, so he'll be ready for the considerably smaller hills near Staunton. I have total confidence he will eat more than his share of donuts!

I still find it hard to believe 20 years after I helped fellow officers of the Mid-America Bicycle Club create the ride that it's still around. The 20th anniversary of the Tour de Donut should be a special event, and you have until July 10 to sign up online. No day-of-ride registrations will be accepted.

Labels: bicycle rides, Illinois, St. Louis, Tour de Donut

Roger 0 comments links to this post 10:07 PM

Thursday, June 05, 2008

McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle grand opening

The Great Rivers Greenway District and the Metro East Park and Recreation District will jointly celebrate the grand opening of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle at Branch Street on Saturday, June 7, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The McKinley Bridge Bikeway is a 2,600-ft. long by 14-ft. wide cantilevered lane separated from vehicular traffic lanes on the McKinley Bridge. Offering dramatic views of the Mississippi River and downtown St. Louis, the bikeway is a unique and distinctive feature of the reconstructed bridge that was reopened for vehicular traffic last November.

Also new on the Missouri side is the Trestle at Branch Street, a 2,400-ft. long by 24-ft. wide paved path that rises from street level at Branch Street to the height of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway. The trestle provides a direct connection to the popular 11-mile Riverfront Trail.

Eventually, an additional extension on the Missouri side will connect the Trestle at Branch Street, an adjacent historic elevated steel trestle that continues to downtown St. Louis. The trestle, which was a former rail corridor, will distinguish St. Louis as only the third city in the world, after the High Line in New York City and the Promenade Plantée in Paris, to convert an historic elevated railroad viaduct into a linear urban recreation area.

In a press release for the event, Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan highlighted another important aspect of the project. “Thanks to the vision and hard work of the Madison County Transit District (MCT), we have a world-class bikeway system featuring over 100 miles of interconnected trails in Madison County. The opening of this landmark project by MEPRD and Great Rivers Greenway brings us another step closer to providing Missouri residents with enhanced access to those trails.”

While there are existing on-road connections to both the Confluence Trail and Schoolhouse Trail, MEPRD and MCT are in the planning stages for a trail connection that will link the McKinley Bridge Bikeway directly into the one of those existing MCT trails.

No bicycle riding will be allowed on the McKinley Bridge during the event, but participants will be able to walk or take a shuttle bus to take advantage of bands, food and other activities in St. Louis and across the Mississippi River in Venice, Ill. There's an early bird ride from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. from North Riverfront Park in St. Louis down to the bridge. The bikeway will be officially dedicated at noon.

Columbia, Ill.-based Helmets First will giving away bicycle helmets to the first 100 children.

Labels: bicycling, Illinois, McKinley Bridge, Missouri, St. Louis, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 10:39 PM

Saturday, May 17, 2008

More video from St. Louis Bike to Work Day

Had I spent a little more time searching yesterday on CBS News, I would have found this Web-only video taken Friday during St. Louis' Bike to Work Day. Fortunately, someone over at the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation found it, and I pass it on to you.

Nancy Cordes, CBS's transportation and consumer safety correspondent, interviewed Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack about the increase in bicycle lanes in St. Louis and the increase interest in bicycling prompted by high gasoline prices.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Trailnet, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to enrich the St. Louis region by promoting bicycle and pedestrian activities and collaborating with the public and private sectors to ensure and enhance a premier trail system.

Labels: bicycling, commuting, St. Louis, Trailnet

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:15 PM

Friday, May 16, 2008

St. Louis Bike to Work Day on CBS

In case you missed it this morning -- count me among those who did -- St. Louis' Bike to Work Day was included in a a segment on CBS's "Early Show" in a story about gasoline prices. You have to sit through a commercial, then some footgage from a stock-car track in Junction City, Kan., before you get to the St. Louis segment. The entire segment takes about 3:25 (3:55 if you include the commercial).

Here's the link to the story: 64-Cent Gas! Eye On the Road.

Labels: bicycling, commuting, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 10:48 AM

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Forest Park trail's a mess

Longtime reader Jack Painter asked me to spread the word about less-than-suitable conditions on the bicycle trail in Forest Park, St. Louis' largest city park.

"Forest Park is the jewel of St Louis as you probably know," Jack says. "The bike path there is highly used by cyclists, joggers, pedestrians, dog walkers and parents pushing their children in carts. Riding on it again yesterday (Wednesday), the path in this area still has mud and the grass alongside is a mess."

The problem area, Jack says, is a 70 to 100-yard section of the trail along Lindell Boulevard near the Missouri History Museum. As of Wednesday, he says the path still is covered with mud but it is not thick and mostly dry.

Jack also noted that the Riverfront Times STLOG blog picked up on the story. A picture that accompanies that blog shows the aftermath of the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival, held in Forest Park over the weekend. "Try pedaling through that and staying clean for that Monday-morning meeting," the author noted.

Jack says the trucks tore up the soil (as can be seen in the picture) on both sides of the path. The soil is very wet because of the record rainfall the St. Louis area has had in the first 4 1/2 months of 2008. Jack also contends there are many other places in the park to hold the festival which would allow trucks to delver the beer without using a bike path and that the path was not built to handle the weight of trucks and was just repaved in the last two years.

Other problems persist on the path in Forest Park, Jack contends: "On weekends when the lots that charge for parking fill up along with the free parking spaces, vehicles are parked on the bike paths even behind the Art Museum. I spoke with one of the security guards in the parking lot. He said that this occurs every busy weekend and the police have been informed. In biking around for one hour, I was unable to find an officer even though they have an equestrian station located in the park.

"Bike paths are great for recreational cyclists but in this case are also useful for commuters as the path parallels Lindell Blvd. and extends the full length of the park on the north side. But the message is clear, bike paths are given too little consideration. Local advocates favor (vehiclular cycling) and therefore bike paths, especially bike lanes, are also given minimal consideration."

Jack hopes, and I do as well, that the path is cleaned up by Friday morning, which a CBS News crew will be covering St. Louis' Bike to Work Day celebration. The last thing Trailnet and other organizers need is images of bicyclists trying to navigate a paved bike trail covered with mud.

Given the soil conditions, I can understand why beer festival organizers believed they needed to use the trail to set up booths. But as an event organizer myself, I am a firm believer that you need to leave the facilities in as good shape -- if not better -- than you found them. The mud on the trail creates an unsafe condition for cyclists and creates an inconvenience for other trail users.

Labels: St. Louis, trails

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:07 PM

Saturday, May 10, 2008

CBS News to film St. Louis cyclists

CBS News plans to include St. Louis in an upcoming segment about Bike to Work Week. Here's the information I got from Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack on Friday:

Help Trailnet show the nation a bike-friendly St. Louis! CBS News will be traveling through St. Louis on Friday, May 16. In recognition of Bike to Work Day, (CBS) will be filming at Trailnet's Bike to Work Day Refueling Station at the Missouri History Museum at 6:00 AM. The visual will be a sea of cyclists in brightly colored jerseys.

The correspondent will interview bike commuters, set up some shots and then would like to join a group of cyclists on their commute to work downtown. Please plan to participate and show your bike jersey colors. ...

We are hoping for a good crowd so please forward this to your friends and fellow cyclists. Don't forget: 6:00 a.m., Friday, May 16 at the Missouri History Museum Refueling Station.

I'm afraid you can count me out. Given that I don't normally get to bed until about 3 a.m. on Fridays, there's no way on God's green Earth that I can be up that early. I do, however, support the effort and hope those of you who can be up that early can join in on the fun.

The Missouri History Museum is one of 20 "refueling stations" on Friday, which Trailnet has designated as Bike to Work Day in the St. Louis area. Unfortunately for people who might be tempted to bike to work from Illinois into Missouri, there are no refueling stations on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The closest station for Illinois residents is the Downtown YMCA at 1528 Locust St.

Labels: commuting, St. Louis, Trailnet

Roger 0 comments links to this post 12:33 AM

Friday, May 09, 2008

Trailnet changes starting point for ride

Trailnet's Bicycle Fun Club has changed the starting location for its Lewis and Clark Departure Days Ride planned for Saturday, May 11. The ride will now start at the Missouri entrance to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge due to flooding. Registration for the bike ride is 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. SAG support is offered until 3 p.m., and secure parking is provided until 5 p.m. Vehicles must be removed from the Missouri bridge entrance parking lot by 5 p.m.

The reason for the change is flooded grass parking lots at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site near Hartford, Ill. Days of rain have saturated the grassy areas of the historic site. Most of the ride is on roads and Madison County Transit trails in Illinois, and those have not been affected by flooding.

Labels: Illinois, St. Louis, Trailnet

Roger 0 comments links to this post 6:55 PM

Monday, May 05, 2008

Bike St. Louis expands

Just in time for National Bike to Work Week, May 12-16, the Great Rivers Greenway District is announcing the opening of 57 miles of additional on-street Bike St. Louis routes through St. Louis County and St. Louis City.

With the expansion, the Bike St. Louis system will today 77 miles of dedicated bike lanes and shared traffic lanes.

The dedication of the expansion will take place Thursday at three locations:

• 10 a.m. in Maplewood, Mo., in front of Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Avenue
  
• 11 a.m. in Clayton, Mo., at the MetroLink station at Central and Shaw Park Drive
  
• 12:30 p.m. in St. Louis at the intersection of St. Louis Avenue and Blair Avenue
  (a half-block block west of Crown Candy Kitchen)

Here's a brief excerpt from the press release (Word document) Bike St. Louis has published about the expansion:

The new routes are the first major expansion of the Bike St. Louis network since 2005, when the first 20 miles of continuous on-street bicycle routes were dedicated and connected downtown St. Louis to surrounding neighborhoods. Nearly 50 miles of the expanded Bike St. Louis routes are located in the City of St. Louis, providing connections from downtown to neighborhoods, business districts, educational, cultural and recreation amenities in North and South St. Louis. The new routes also provide on-street connections to the North Riverfront Trail and the McKinley Bridge Bikeway along the Mississippi River in North St. Louis, as well as the River des Peres Greenway and Christy Greenway in South St. Louis.

“In just a few short years, I have seen an important change in residents’ attitudes about bicycle trails and lanes,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay. “What was suspicion and resistance five years ago is now enthusiastic support. A nearby trail is viewed – and, more importantly for our physical fitness, used – as an important amenity for city neighborhoods."

All Bike St. Louis routes feature highly visible customized designation signs, standard federal bicycle route signs and on-street pavement markings. In addition, Bike St. Louis maps are available online at www.bikestlouis.org and at many convenient area locations throughout the region. The maps provide information to assist riders plan their routes and feature safety tips and other pertinent resource information.

And if that wasn't enough, the Great Rivers Greenway District will hold the grand opening of the McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle on June 7. After a major renovation, the bridge reopened to vehicle traffic late last year, and now the McKinley Bridge will link the Bike St. Louis system to the Madison County Transit Confluence Trail in Illinois.

Once the bridge is open, St. Louis cyclists will have four safe ways to cross the Mississippi River between the two states. The existing crossings are the Eads Bridge, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and the Clark Bridge, which connects St. Charles County, Mo., and Alton, Ill.

Not surprisingly, I applaud the efforts to make the St. Louis area more bicycle friendly, and I hope the trend continues.

Labels: commuting, cycling, Missouri, St. Louis, trails

Roger 2 comments links to this post 12:10 AM

Friday, April 18, 2008

A bit of shakin' going on

Yes, we in the Midwest have earthquakes.

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:37 a.m. CDT, and was centered about 115 miles east of Belleville, and six miles from West Salem in Edwards County, Ill. It was felt in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.

I managed to sleep through that earthquake, but I most definitely felt an aftershock from this morning's earthquake. It hit the region at 10:15 a.m., almost six hours after a magnitude 5.2 quake struck the Midwest at 4:37 a.m. That registered at 4.5 magnitude. Another hit two hours after the initial quake, at 6:55 a.m., registering 2.6.

So far, there aren't many reports of major damage. Here are some stories:

• Belleville News-Democrat
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch

While my part of the world isn't as notorious for earthquakes as California, we have our share here. The most famous is the New Madrid, Mo., earthquake on Feb. 7, 1812. That quake caused shifted the course of the Mississippi River and create numerous lakes. More than 4,00o reports of quakes since 1974 have been made in the region shown below:

Labels: Illinois, nature, St. Louis

Roger 2 comments links to this post 10:58 AM