Thursday, June 26, 2008

Bicycle battles in Iowa

When supervisors in Crawford County, Iowa, banned RAGBRAI, the Des Moines Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, it spurred a debate between counties concerned about liability issues and cyclists who are asserting their rights to ride on Iowa roads.

On Saturday, nearly 100 cyclists staged a protest ride against the RAGBRAI ban.

Crawford County supervisors voted to ban the annual ride last fall after settling a lawsuit with the family of a rider who died in 2004. The lawsuit claimed the county was negligent in its road maintenance, but since the case never went to trial, that was never determined.

"I don't understand what they are so upset about," Crawford County Board Chairman Dan Mulbauer told The Daily Nonpareil of Council Bluffs. "We are not against the riders. We need to have some liability protection. We can't afford another $350,000 lawsuit from someone saying our roads aren't good enough."

In response to the liability issue, the Iowa State Association of Counties drafted a sample draft ordinance that requires all bicycle rides to provide a certificate of insurance. It would require the sponsors of any qualified bicycle event to purchase a $1 million policy that also covers the county. Violators would face fines of at least $750.

You know cyclists are in trouble when you read the first section of the draft ordinance: "County roads are not designed for bicycles. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, bicycling results in more emergency room admissions than any other sport or activity. Large organized bicycle events that use County roads create a unique risk of injury to bicycle riders. Allowing such rides puts the County, and County taxpayers, at risk for lawsuits and large damage awards."

The draft ordinance (Word document) goes on to say: "The County wants to encourage large organized bicycle events, while at the same time protecting the County from liability. The County has a legitimate interest in protecting itself from liability for injuries associated with the use of County roads. The best way to do that is to require that large organized bicycle events procure insurance that includes the County as an additional insured."

On Tuesday, dozens of bicyclists persuaded Dallas County officials Tuesday to reconsider an ordinance that would require liability insurance for any organized bike ride with more than 20 riders that is based upon the group's draft ordinance, the Des Moines Register reported..

County supervisors delayed a vote on the proposal, which has met resistance from cyclists who say it would hinder cycling clubs and charity fundraisers that can't afford policies.

Labels: bicycling, Iowa, tours

Roger 2 comments links to this post 10:26 AM

Monday, June 23, 2008

Back from the Katy Trail

As you can see, the Missouri River keeps on rolling along -- albeit a bit higher than normal -- along the Katy Trail.

Yes, I did ride the Katy Trail last week. I hope to have the full article up on the Web site later this week, but here's a brief summary.

In some ways, it was the kind of ride where everything that could go wrong did. For example, I wasn't happy to find out that when I got to Hermann, Mo., last Monday that I had left my towel and comb at home. Ugh.

At our final camping spot in Liberty Park in Sedalia, a heavy thunderstorm blew through town and knocked down my tent, drenching everything in it.

And yet, it was a rewarding ride. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources does a first-rate job of supporting cyclists, and it's hard to top the Katy Trail for scenery in this part of the world. The bluffs near Augusta and Rocheport are very scenic, but I also found the rolling plains between Sedalia and Clinton rewarding as well.

Flooding on the Missouri River did force a couple of detours, as I expected, but the flooding on the Missouri is nothing like the flooding on the Mississippi right now.

I really didn't have the opportunity to find Internet access during the trip, and that was a blessing in disguise. I found I really needed to take a break from the Internet, e-mail and blogging. I spent way too much time on this computer this spring because of organizing work I did for the Tour de Stooges and The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride, and it was great to spend time on a bike!

My mountain bike made it through the trail OK, although I probably would have been happier on a lighter hybrid or at least with less-aggressive mountain bike tires on the crushed limestone surface on the Katy Trail. I do now have a name for my mountain bike, a Raleigh -- Behemoth!

Another reason I was glad I didn't access e-mail or the Internet last week was because the parent company of the Belleville News-Democrat, McClatchy Newspapers, announced that it was eliminating 1,400 jobs nationwide through layoffs, voluntary departures and attrition. The News-Democrat will be cutting 12 jobs. I am grateful none of them are in our newsroom, but I feel for those who will lose jobs in other departments.

It is discomforting when you think about the troubled state of the newspaper industry. Recently, fellow bicycle blogger and journalist Jill Homer reported in her Up in Alaska blog that her newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, is indefinitely cutting retirement benefits.

Yes, a week away from reality did do me a lot of good!

Labels: bicycling, Katy Trail, Missouri, newspapers, tours

Roger 1 comments links to this post 11:51 AM

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Bicycle helmets: Are they sexy?

Is wearing a bicycle helmet sexy? There are at least two groups that are convinced bicycle helmets are hot, and they're trying to tell the world.

The video above is from a troupe from Vancouver, British Columbia, called the B:C:Clettes, who are trying to promote cycling with "with style, attitude, and hopefully safety somewhere in the mix." Here's more from their Web site:

We are an all lady, bike inspired, street-performance collective. Our performances are a celebration of bikes and those who like to ride them.

The B:C:Clettes are a Biker Collective, Creating Love, Equality, and Toughness Through Engaging Spectacle!

We will not be defined by words alone; instead you will find us perpetually in motion, taking back the streets for revolutionary use as bicycle ways and dance floors. We’re revolutionary, yes, like our wheels.

Hot, tough, and shiny — like the sexy steeds we tame and ride. Pedal, pump, coast and fly: we ride in all weather. Swing, shimmy, strut, and jive: we dance in all weather. We weather all storms as a collective, together.

Bikes on the Drive in Vancouver provided red, shiny helmets to the B:C:Clettes, and they hope you'll wear a helmet, too.

The second group is The Safety is Sexy Campaign. Below is a sampling of the group's wares:



What is the mission of The Safety is Sexy Campaign? "To erase the stigma that wearing a helmet is dorky or uncool and to encourage the idea that wearing a helmet is attractive, cool and smart." You can get a free "You'd look hotter in a helmet" sticker through the group's Web site.

Sex appeal always has been a major part of advertising and marketing campaigns, so I guess it's only natural that sex appeal be used to promote bicycle helmets.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, Canada, safety

Roger 1 comments links to this post 10:42 AM

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

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride

We hope you're planning to attend The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery
Bicycle Ride (http://www.chiefgetwell.com/roadtorecovery.htm) this Sunday, June 1, at Central Junior High School, 1801 Central School Road in Belleville, Ill. Here's some last-minute details:

REGISTRATION: Online registration
(http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1532377) closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, May 29, but you can sign up the day of the ride at the school. Although there is no discount for registering early, it does ensure that you will get our T-shirt, which includes artwork by Signal Hill School student Louis Holm. The cost of the ride is $25 for adults, $15 for children 13-17 and $5 for children 5-12. Registration is from 7 to 10 a.m., and you may leave anytime from 8 to 10 a.m.

FREE HELMETS: The first 50 children ages 5-12 will receive free bicycle helmets! The helmets are being donated by the Columbia,Ill.-based Helmets First! program, which is led by Dr. Joseph Cangas of Illini Pediatrics. Helmets First!

ST. LOUIS REGIONAL BICYCLE FEDERATION: The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation will have a booth at our event to promote bicycle advocacy. We think it's appropriate for the group to be represented at a benefit ride for a seriously injured cyclist, and we hope the event will improve the group's visability in Illinois.

LIVE MUSIC AND KIDS ACTIVITIES: The bluegrass-country band Pick'n'likin will perform from 11:30 a.m.-1:30, and a rock 'n' roll cover band will play from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Lunch will be sold at a nominal cost. Non-riders are welcome to join us for lunch, the music and the opportunity to be with Gerry. Face painting, balloons and other entertainment will be available for kids.

USE METROLINK AND BIKE TO THE EVENT: With the price of gas the way it is, we know you want to save a few bucks when you can. It's a 3.1-mile bike trip (one-way) from the Belleville MetroLink station to Central Junior High School. After getting off MetroLink, take Scheel Street across Jackson Avenue. The name of the street then changes to Church Street. Take Church Street to East Main Street. Continue on East Main to the Veterans Memorial Fountain. At the fountain, turn south on South Illinois Street (Illinois Route 159) and take Illinois Street about 1.6 miles to Westhaven School Road. Turn left on Westhaven, and that will take you to the school. Here's a link to a map: http://snipurl.com/2awuy

Labels: advocacy, Belleville, bicycling, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments links to this post 2:31 PM

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Helmets First!

One of the organizations you'll see next Sunday (June 1) if you attend The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride is a group called Helmets First!

Helmets First, based in Columbia, Ill., is an effort led by Dr. Joseph Cangas to encourage children to wear helmets while riding bicycles. Helmets First will be giving helmets to the first 50 children ages 5-12 who sign up for the Gerry Frierdich benefit.

The mission of the group is simple: "To promote the safety of children by providing helmets and helmet education, as well as rewarding those who wear a helmet, so that they may grow to be healthy, productive members of society."

According to the group's Web site, it has given more than 2,500 helmets to children and provided bicycle helmet education to more than 4,000 children. With the help of police departments in Columbia, Waterloo and Salem, the group also rewards children who wear helmets.

Helmets First also will be giving away 250 helmets at the grand opening of the McKinley Bridge bikeway on June 1. The McKinley Bridge bikeway will connect the Riverfront Trail in St. Louis with the Confluence Trail in Madison County, Ill.

The group is willing to provide free or discounted helmets for youth organizations, and it's also seeking donations and sponsorships so it can continue to provide helmets. It sounds like a worthy cause to me, so go check it out.

Labels: bicycling, children, safety

Roger 0 comments links to this post 11:18 PM

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Ride

Just a reminder: There's still time to sign up for The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride on Sunday, June 1, at Central Junior High School in Belleville, Ill.

You can register for the ride in three ways. You can download the flier for the event and mail in your registration, but mail registrations must be postmarked by Friday, May 23. You can register online through Thursday, May 29, via Active.com (Active.com charges a small handling fee). You also can sign up the day for the ride.

If you can't come to the ride, you still can make a donation. You can make a donation online through Active Giving, or you can mail the donation to the Gerard Frierdich Trust Fund, c/o Bud & Sandy Gore, 2391 South 11th Street Road, Belleville, IL 62226.

Gerry has made considerable progress since the Aug. 19, 2007, accident -- Gerry's recumbent bicycle was struck by a pickup truck on South Greenmount Road in Belleville -- that left him paralyzed from the chest down. However, he still has a long way to go, and the proceeds from the event will help with his future medical needs and other necessities.

Nearly as impressive as Gerry's progress is the outpouring of support he has received from the Belleville and cycling communities. For example:

• Gerry rode a Bacchetta recumbent bicycle. Bacchetta donated not one, but two, recumbent bicycles for us to raffle. The winner of the first drawing will be announced in September at the Millstadt (Ill.) Biathlon, and the second will be awarded in February 2009. You can download the flier to find out how to buy a ticket, plus tickets will be available at various St. Louis-area events and at The Touring Cyclist shop in Fairview Heights, Ill. Keep in mind that winners from outside the St. Louis metropolitan area will be responsible for shipping and handling costs.
• Tom Egel, a cyclist from Ann Arbor, Mich., has taken up Gerry's cause. Tom plans on riding a century during this year's One Helluva Ride in Michigan, and he's set up a page at Active Giving to accept donations for Gerry. In about a week, Tom has raised more than $900 for Gerry! If you're motivated to raise money for Gerry in a similar fashion, I will be happy to help you set up a fundraising page. Just e-mail me at bike2eat@rogerkramercycling.org, and I will fill you in on the details.
• The organizers of The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride have obtained $13,000 in cash and in-kind sponsorships for the event. That will insure that all the money raised by the ride will go to Gerry. We are grateful for all the help we have received from businesses and individuals in the Belleville and St. Louis area!

Anything you can do help Gerry will be greatly appreciated!

Labels: advocacy, Belleville, bicycling, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments links to this post 9:20 AM

Saturday, May 17, 2008

CBS News reports on commuter bikes

At the risk of sounding like a shill for CBS News, Here's another segment from the "Early Show" about Bike to Work Day. Harry Smith, a bike commuter, talks with Bicycling magazine Editor Steve Madden about the newest commuter bikes and the benefits of bicycle commuting.

Labels: bicycling, commuting

Roger 0 comments links to this post 12:38 PM

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

Friday, January 25, 2008

Liability shadow hangs over RAGBRAI

Most Iowa communities want to be a part of the Register Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa -- better known as RAGBRAI -- because the annual bicycle tour brings thousands of dollars to their communities.

The 38th edition of RAGBRAI starts July 20 in Missouri Valley with stops in Harlan, Jefferson, Ames, Tama-Toledo, North Liberty and Tipton before ending in Le Claire on July 26.

"We've seen towns that get 20,000 to 30,000 people," T.J. Juskiewicz, the ride's director told the Des Moines Register. "That's a lot of dollars. The economic impact, some towns have told us, is $2 million."

But not every local government is thrilled about the ride. This summer's ride doesn't pass through Crawford County, where the county's board of supervisors passed a resolution in October banning RAGBRAI or "any event of like kind and nature," the Register reported.

The supervisors approved the ban after it paid a $350,000 insurance settlement to the widow of a RAGBRAI rider who died in 2004. The rider was thrown from his bicycle after hitting a center-line crack on a Crawford County road.

The Register goes on to report that many county officials want the Iowa legislature to address the problem this year by providing an exemption for future court cases involving bicycles on county roads.

To me, it sounds a whole lot like the 1998 Illinois Supreme Court ruling that made bicyclists permitted, rather than intended, users of Illinois roads. The ruling held that local governments are liable for bicyclists' safety because of road condition only on streets marked or signed as a bike route.

I certainly understand the counties' desire to avoid liability, and I certainly understand that some road conditions that are unsafe for cyclists, including a crack in the middle of the pavement, aren't necessarily unsafe for drivers of cars, trucks and tractors. But my experience cycling on roads in North America tells me that the roads that are substandard for bicycles often are substandard for motorized vehicles as well.

A better solution would be one being offered by Iowa state Sen. Bill Dotzler. The Register reports Dotzler plans to introduce a bill in the Iowa legislature that would enable counties to get state grants to repair the roads.

Of course, that would involve spending money, but spending money to make roads safer for all users -- including cyclists -- seems like a wise use of taxpayers' money to me.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, Iowa, tours

Roger 0 comments links to this post 11:52 AM

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Work planned for MCT Nature Trail

Madison County Transit soon will be replacing the pavement on a section of the MCT Nature Trail between Pontoon Beach and Edwardsville, Ill., that is in dire need of repair.

Dan Corbett, a friend of mine and a member of MCT's board of trustees, said the board today accepted bids on the project.

The section of the Nature Trail that will be affected by the repairs is between Chain of Rocks Road just outside Edwardsville and the junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail near Long Lake in Pontoon Beach.

That section of the trail will be closed during the repaving, but no exact timetable has been set for the work.

At the moment, that section of trail is open, but please use caution and watch for warning signs and cones -- especially if you ride a road bike. The cracks in the pavement can easily catch a road tire.

The reason why the section of the Nature Trail has deteriorated so much is because of the soil conditions beneath the trail surface, Dan said. Work will be done to the bed beneath the trail to make it better suited to handle an asphalt trail.

Thanks to MCT's extensive trail system, you'll still be able to ride on a trail between the Granite City/Pontoon Beach area and the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area while work is being done on the Nature Trail. Instead of using the Nature Trail, you can use the Nickel Plate Trail between Long Lake and the eastern end of the Nature Trail.

Labels: bicycling, MCT Trails, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:42 PM

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Tour de Grape press release

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

Labels: bicycling, Tour de Grape

Roger 0 comments links to this post 5:30 PM

Monday, December 04, 2006

Bike trails taking shape across area

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch today reports the idea of a two-state web of interwoven bicycle trails is beginning to take form. Tax-supported local agencies in Illinois and Missouri, like the railroad builders of old, extending a network that will allow riders a choice of routes for pedaling the breadth of the metro area.

As you might expect, Madison County Transit's extensive 85-mile network of trails is a big part of the story, and so are the efforts by Trailnet and the Great Rivers Greenway District in their efforts to build trails on the Missouri side of the river.

"Trails connect us," David Fisher, director of the Great Rivers Greenway District, told the Post-Dispatch. "They let us be healthy together. And they have become very, very popular."

More trails are in the works. Some of those not included in the Post-Dispatch story include a trail that would link O'Fallon, Ill., with the Madison County Trails system near Troy and a trail in Swansea that would tie into the MetroLink Bike Trail in Belleville. And let not forget about the efforts of the ITS Trail Committee, which is trying to build a trail from Staunton to Benld in Macoupin County, Ill., with a long-term goal of linking the Madison County trails to the south and Springfield, Ill., to the north.

Labels: bicycling, Illinois, Missouri, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 11:10 AM

Friday, December 01, 2006

Woman sentenced in cyclist's death

A 19-year-old Urbana, Ill., woman, Jennifer Stark pleaded guilty Wednesday to a petty offense and was sentenced for actions that led to the death of Matthew Wilhelm, the (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.

Wilhelm, a 25-year-old former Champaign resident, a University of Illinois mechanical engineering graduate working for Caterpillar in Peoria, died on Sept. 8 from head injuries he received Sept. 2 when Stark hit him with her car because she was downloading ring tones to her cell phone instead of paying attention to driving.

Stark received the maximum penalty for the offense, improper lane usage: a maximum sentence of six months of conditional discharge, a form of probation without reporting to an officer; a $1,000 fine; and traffic safety school.

"I can only apply the law I have in front of me, not as I wish it would be," Champaign County Judge Richard Klaus said during the sentencing hearing.

Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz did not file a more serious charge, such as reckless homicide, because she determined the accident that killed Wilhelm did not fit the state's legal definition of recklessness needed to file a felony reckless homicide charge.

Rietz is pushing for the Illinois General Assembly to create a stronger law for distracted drivers. According to a draft of the proposed bill, a person would be guilty of negligent vehicular homicide if "while in the course of operating a motor vehicle, the person's negligent operation of such vehicle is a substantial cause of the death of another person."

Wilhelm's parents, Gloria and Chuck Wilhelm, are continuing their push for the General Assembly to pass the law. The News-Gazette reported that the Wilhelms spent much of Tuesday talking to state representatives and senators and their staffs about the legislation.

The Associated Press picked up the story Thursday, and several Illinois newspapers, including the Belleville News-Democrat, published it in Friday editions.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, fatal accidents

Roger 5 comments links to this post 12:13 PM

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Just catching up

I know it's been about a week and a half since my last post. I no longer have BubbaFest as an excuse for not posting, so here's some random notes:

Happy Birthdays: My sister Teresa's son, Julius, and my late brother Wes' daughter, Ani, are celebrating their 16th birthdays this weekend. Julius turned 16 on Thanksgiving, while Ani turns 16 today.

After the Thanksgiving meal Thursday, my family got to watch "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment" for the first time. The film inspired Julius and Teresa to want to come down to Staunton, Ill., next July to give Tour de Donut a try. Julius is convinced he can eat 20 doughnuts, while I think my sister can do well in her age division next year. If Julius would ride and eat well enough to win, it would be the second Tour de Donut on "Old Blue," the blue Cannondale I rode to victory in the 1995 Tour de Donut.

Ani, meanwhile, played for the Belleville West High School junior varsity girls tennis team. She most likely will be on the varsity roster next year, so I'm hoping to see her name in the Belleville News-Democrat often the next two seasons.

Great biking weather: It seems as if I brought some warm temperatures home with me from Florida. The high temperatures in the St. Louis area will be in the 60s this weekend, so I plan to get some miles in today. I should have been biking Friday, but I didn't because I put Christmas lights up for my duplex and because I was fighting a bug that left me tired. I finally turned the corner Friday evening, so there's no excuse for me not to ride today.

I want to get a short ride in Sunday morning before I go to the St. Louis Rams-San Francisco 49ers game with my nephew.

Still thinking about Florida: I hope to post my official account of BubbaFest sometime next week in the main section of the Web site. In the meantime, I'm posting a photo taken by my good friend Doug Kaufman during the trip.

Our buddy, John Chester, needed to get a tire fixed during the course of the ride at the Big Pine Bicycle Center. It turns out that the owner, Marty Baird, may be a bigger Three Stooges nut than I am, if you can imagine that.

Not only does he own the jersey pictured here, he also has 146 Stooges episodes on tape and gobs of Stooges memorabilia. It was only appropriate Marty and I recreate a classic Stooges scene for the cameras. I told him about the Tour de Stooges, but he won't be able to make it up north for the ride because it's his busy season. I will try to make sure he gets a shirt for his collection.

Just starting out: Friend and former News-Democrat colleague Emily Priddy, the hippie of the Red Fork Hippie Chick blog, is writing about her efforts to become a cyclist after finishing two marathons and four half-marathons. She asked me not to laugh at her humble Thanksgiving Day ride.

I'm not laughing.

We've all been in Emily's shoes sometime in our cycling lives, and I applaud her efforts to become a cyclist. In a matter of time, she should be able to cruise her bike up those hills she now walks.

Labels: bicycling, Thanksgiving, Three Stooges, vacation

Roger 1 comments links to this post 12:21 AM