The Cue Sheet

The Newsletter of the Elmhurst Bicycle Club
Riding Strong for over 31 Years

February
2009

Spring 2009 Biking Trip to Tucson

By Kären Schwartz

If you're getting tired of looking at all of that white stuff on the ground, consider a Tucson biking week. EBC will be having a biking week in Tucson Arizona in March. The dates are March 7th to the 14th. Tucson is a great biking destination in the spring. The average temperatures in March are in the 60's to the 70's. Rain is not usually a problem either. The desert scenery is beautiful with saguaro cacti that are blooming in the desert springtime. Check out the Tucson web link to see pictures and to find some helpful planning options. Below are some links that show the routes we'll do and some pictures of the area.

• http://www.visittucson.org/
• http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/outdoor/biking/
• http://www.nps.gov/sagu
• http://www.bikegaba.org/Local_Rides/MtLemmonHillClimb.htm
• http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/outdoor/biking/daytrip/
• http://www.bikegaba.org/Local_Rides/Ride%20Directory.htm

If you want to go, you'll need to find a place to stay and get transportation. Some of us are driving there and staying from the 6th to the 16th, while others are flying in for the 7th to the 14th. Tucson's airport is small and friendly, but is located on the opposite side of town from where most of us will be staying. The area to look at for lodging is on the northeast side. The Arizona National Golf Course or the Saguaro Springs area is the area to look for. Mt Lemmon is also a landmark to use. Bed and breakfasts are a good choice or condos or homes to rent. I wouldn't recommend camping as the time that we did a camping bike trip that started in Tucson found us in a campground near Colossal Cave that had only privies and lots of hard ground with cacti. The cheapest airfare can be found on Southwest.

Our rides will be rides that start from the Arizona National Golf Course or the Saguaro Springs area mostly and will be from 30 to 50 miles at a fast moderate pace. We will drive to a few ride starts. You will need jackets and leg warmers for the start of most rides, but the temperatures quickly warm up after an hour. Sun tan lotion is a must as you can burn that Chicago winter-white skin quickly in the Arizona sun!

Email me at cteach3_comcast.net or cteach33_gmail.com if you have any questions.

Membership Report

By Susan Sperl, Membership Coordinator

Our EBC family has grown to 209 members who are renewed or new for 2009!
I thank all of you who have renewed in such a timely fashion!
I will be emailing renewal notices to those members I have not heard from.

My goal for 2009 is to have the Directory ready for print in March so that I can present it to our membership in April for the start of our Spring riding season.

We ended 2008 with 450 total membership.
I hope to have everyone included in 2009's Directory.

   Please help me reach my goal.
   (http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/memberform.htm)

Thank you making EBC your club of choice!

Awards at the April Meeting

By Susan Sperl, Award Co-Chairperson

EBC awards will be presented at our April meeting.
Please email the size you will be requiring for your award jerseys.

Club Advocacy – December/January

By Bob Hoel, Advocacy Chair

A lot has transpired in Advocacy since I last reported to the Club. Some of this will be a repeat from my report at the January Club meeting.

As you know, Elmhurst Mayor Marcucci formed a Bike Task Force in November around the holidays and members were appointed December 12. Going into the Christmas holiday and party season was not a good time to hold our first meeting so it was scheduled for January 12, 2009.

In preparation for the meeting, a planning session was held with Tom Borchert, Elmhurst City Manager, and several of his senior staff. Agendas were prepared and background material distributed to the Task Force members so that on Jan. 12 we were ready to roll (pun intended). The downside is that with the snow and mid-teen temperatures no one biked to the first meeting. The good news is that nearly every stakeholder in the community was represented.

After opening remarks from the Mayor and everyone introduced themselves, we began our work. Nearly everyone attending had some level of recent bike experience so they could relate to the topic at hand.

The initial discussion was about what people perceive as barriers to biking, whether for recreation or transportation. This initial list, once we have vetted out the issues, will be the basis of problems to be addressed and solved. I will publish this list shortly and hope that you will be able to help identify additional barriers.

The Mayor has charged the Task Force to report back to him no later than early March on our progress. The bottom line is that he wants to see some deliverables before he leaves office in April. To that end we identified several issues that could be addressed and solutions put in motion in the near term. This formed the basis of three sub-committees that have been formed to “divide and conquer.” These are:

1. bike safety and education;
2. city bike map with recommended routes; and
3. bike racks and storage.

Club members on the Task Force will play a major role and lead the first two of these groups.

The Task Force will meet twice a month for January and February. If sufficient progress is made we will drop back to monthly meetings in March. Sub-committees will meet between regular meetings. This is an aggressive schedule but we are behind the curve on being ready for the Spring cycling season. The Task Force members seem willing to tackle it.

Separately, Ray and I will meet later this month with the Addison Citizens Advisory Commission to talk about the role of biking in Addison. This is a result of the approval of funds for the Addison portion of the Salt Creek Greenway Trail. (Construction will start in late Spring 2009.) It is our hope that Addison will follow a (bike?) path similar to Elmhurst.

Mark your calendar for June 6, 2009. This is the date set by the Elmhurst Park District for the official opening of the Salt Creek Greenway Trail through Elmhurst. We are hoping for a major Club turnout for this event to be measured in hundreds of participants!

Elmhurst College has declared a parking initiative that will start in 2009. First year resident students will not be permitted to have a car on campus. To support this and other transportation needs, the College will acquire and make available to sophomore, junior and senior resident students bikes, helmets and locks with the intent of further reducing the need for on-campus motorized vehicles. This will accentuate the need for bike parking and education in the Elmhurst community as we try to incorporate this development.

Finally, I met with the president of the Board of School District 205 (Elmhurst) to talk about areas the Bike Club and the Bike Task Force might be of help. We discussed a program called “Safe Routes to School,” a U.S. DOT program to encourage students to walk or bike to school. We also talked about ways to provide bike education and bike skills to grade school students. I believe we have a real opportunity here to impact the community. We need to consider supporting a Club member in attaining League Certified Instructor status (from the League of American Bicyclists) which then could be put to use in both the schools and Park District.

That is enough for now. Stay tuned because we are just getting warmed up! 2009 will be a pivotal year.

Save the Trees

by Ray Dal Lago

Are you receiving this newsletter in the mail? If so, please consider accessing it on the Elmhurst Bicycle Club website instead: www.elmhurstbicycling.org. You will see it in color and you can view it before you would receive the mailed copy.

If you agree to be removed from the mailing list, you will:

• Save the ink, paper (and trees) used to print pages you don't want.
• Save money for the club. EBC incurs expense for both printing and postage for all the newsletters that are mailed. There is no cost to put it on the website.

Please contact Judy Mikesell (630-833-1036 or mikesell2_at_juno.com) and request that your name be removed fom the newsletter mailing list.

Please submit articles and/or photos for the newsletter to Cindy Reedy (cmreedy_prodigy.net) AND Sharon Hermach (ganskesh_hotmail.com). The deadline is the 15th of the month.

February 2009   •   •   •   Club Rides

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