Elmhurst Bicycle Club Newsletter

reprinted with permission from Mary Bertrand
newsletter editor, RiverBend Bicycling Club, Clinton, Iowa

March is Women’s History Month. If you are wondering why I mention this in a bike club newsletter, it is because bicycles actually played a very important role in opening up opportunities and freedoms to women beginning in the 1880s.

National Geographic recently published a book on the history of women and cycling, Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy.

The invention and increased popularity of the safety bicycle empowered women and gave them mobility, both literally and figuratively. Women’s clothing of that era consisted of corsets, long skirts and many layers of petticoats. As women fell in love with bike riding, they needed clothing more suitable for cycling. Women supported the ‘rational dress’ movement that was underway to free women from having to wear unhealthy clothing, such as the corsets and heavy, bulky undergarments. Instead women’s dresses got shorter, which allowed them to lead healthier, more active lifestyles.

Riding a bicycle also allowed otherwise closely supervised women to escape watchful eyes. It broke their reliance upon men for travel. By riding bicycles, women challenged the existing social order. Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights advocate, is quoted as saying that the bicycle has “done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.”

Even today, bicycles continue to give women independence and freedom around the world. There are organizations, such as World Bicycle Relief, which distribute bicycles in developing countries. Among their many benefits, these bikes improve access to education and health care.

If you are interested in woman’s history and /or the history of bicycles, I recommend reading the book Wheels of Change. It is worth a trip (on your bike?) to your local library.

Back-To-Back: Coming Up
Tucson, Arizona Cycle Outing April 7-14 2012
St George/Hurricane, Utah Cycling Adventure April 15-22

This year we will be doing Laurel Salvador’s Utah cycle trip in St George/ Hurricane, Utah. This trip will be from April 15-22, 2012. The trip will feature some fantastic natural beauty in Zion National Park, but we are also going to be biking in another fantastic National Park in Tucson: Saguaro National Park. See www.nps.gov/sagu/ for some highlights.

We love this Park because it has one of the best bike rides for scenery and fun in a short distance. The rolling hills and desert scenery can’t be beat. We will be doing several bike rides in the area during the week. Tucson is very bike-friendly. There are bike routes throughout the city. We have ridden to the downtown and back easily. This time of year, the temperatures are usually very good for cycling with 82 being the average high and 56 the average low. We usually stay in a condo near the Arizona National Golf Club. This area of Tucson is very scenic. www.vrbo.com is the vacation rental by owner web site that we usually use to find rentals. If you might be interested in joining us for a Tucson outing this spring from April 14, 2012, email us at: cteach3@comcast.net

Kären and Bill Schwartz

2012 Accident Quota Already Filled

There will be no further bicycling accidents allowed this year because a number of us have already fulfilled the dubious annual allotment. It may not be easy, but you will all have to practice safe bicycling for the entire remainder of this year to insure that none of you have to take time off your bike because of a mishap.

Puh-leeze!

At the March club meeting, Kathy Wagner-Selbach shared her story of her wrist-breaking accident attributable to a shredded (shreddy?) bootie. A shred from the bootie got caught in the chain which prevented her from putting her foot down as she came to a stop – and over she went. Kathy stressed to the assembled club members the importance of insuring that all your bicycle clothing and gear are in good condition.

While I didn’t get a picture of her bootie, I could identify because I have a worn bootie that I still ride with (pictured) even though I have a brand new pair of booties standing by. Kathy called it being ‘German’ (thrifty – i.e. getting the last drop of utility out of something), but it was ultimately an un-economic thrift.

As for my own recent accident – it’s now been 2 weeks since I last rode – I was just plain careless. I failed to honor the most important precept of riding: watch where you are riding. I got distracted and then rode into a curb.

How could this happen? A group of us had been ‘flying’ east on 127th coming back from Oswego aided by a strong tail wind. I was in the big chain ring. We stopped at U.S. Route 30. When we started back up, with the chain ring being well worn and having failed to sufficiently down-shift, I popped the chain off of the chain ring to the crank side of the ring when I put pressure on the crank. No problem! I move the shift lever to shift to the small ring, and intently watched (losing total situational awareness) the chain being successfully picked up and over the big ring and dropped back on the small ring. Just as I was congratulating myself on this smooth maneuver, I looked up and saw that I was a micro second away from running into the center island curb of 127th on the east side of U.S. 30. This was a low speed accident and I didn’t hit my head. As the front wheel hit the curb I fell over on my left side, rolled over on to my back, watched the bicycle trace an arc across the sunlit blue sky, continued rolling on to my right side, and slid off of the island into the turning lane. I still had both feet clipped in – and I hurt like hell. I immediately got up and was walking off the physical pain, but was more upset at my stupidity in allowing this to happen.

I had a goose egg on my bloody elbow, but at that time probably due to the adrenalin rush, I didn’t realize anything else was wrong. I managed to ride back to IMAX but, near the end of the ride, realized that my left side ribs were beginning to hurt. The ribs are getting better, but I don’t expect to ride for another week.

Wayne Price had an encounter with a curb a week later. He has already told his story via a Google post. There are a thousand things that can distract you while you ride. Your distraction will be different than mine. But you have to remember to pay attention and ride your bike first. The 2012 accident quota has been filled!

Report from the 2012 National Bike Summit

The National Bike Summit, staged by the League of American Bicyclists and held in Washington, D.C. March 20 – 22, was another successful event. Attendance this year reached over 800, representing several countries and every state in the Union except Alaska.

Wednesday started with several keynote speakers including Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Oregon) and Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood. Both are very dynamic speakers and they elicited standing ovations from the attendees for their unrelenting work to make bicycles a viable form of transportation. Both are frustrated in what they described as a dysfunctional Congress. The first day was composed of workshops and training sessions, many focused on the development of a new Transportation Bill. Though the themes of these sessions tend to repeat from year to year, one new topic this year concerned encouraging competitive cyclists, from locals to nationals, to join us at the advocacy table. It turns out they have a lot to gain for their sport in creating a safer venue to host their races and their public visibility helps the rest of us.

Thursday’s focus was walking the halls of Congress. The 17 person Illinois delegations represented cyclists, manufacturers (SRAM), bike shops, LIB, Trails for Illinois and Active Trans. We split into roughly 3 groups and began visiting the transportation staffers for all 16 Illinois representatives and both senators. Despite all the negative reports prior to the Summit, I am happy to report that we were well received in all offices, regardless of party affiliation. For whatever reason, the Congressional leadership has decided to single out bike and pedestrian funding as a lightning rod, even though it represents less than 2% of the full bill. We have reason to feel confident that we will get dedicated funding, minimally controlled at the local level. Not a bad thing.

Generally the Summit is a great forum to share best practices across the U.S. It was not only an education but fun to be with so many other advocates.

Your Invitation to Some Great Bicycling
July 21-28 Frisco, Colorado

http://cyclepass.com/t_p_Vail.html

The above link will take you to a web page that describes one of our rides in Colorado this year. It is the most beautiful bike path in the world we feel. If you're interested in doing this ride, just drive or fly out and reserve some lodging in Frisco or meet us in Frisco. Below are some of the details:

July 21-28 biking/hiking Frisco Colorado is a memorable experience. The mountain areas are full of beauty and while we have biked most of Colorado at some time since it is our favorite biking destination, the Frisco area remains as our favorite place to cycle. There are 50 miles of paved paths that stretch from Vail to Frisco and Dillon and from Keystone to Breckenridge. It is located on the shore of Lake Dillon and there are hiking trails right at the edge of the town. The great thing about this location and the biking is that there is riding for every type of cyclist. The mountain biking trails are numerous as well as the downhill rides down the ski slopes for the more daring! The paths are easy so that many families with children can be seen riding the trails. For the more adventurous, there are mountain passes to climb at the end of many of the trails. Over the years we have had cyclists of every level bike Colorado with us, from the easy rider to the fast rider.

One place we may be biking is the Glenwood Canyon bike trail. This is a trail that we drive to on I-70 and then start a 20mile ride to Glenwood Springs on a bike path that literally follows the river on one side and I-70 on the other. As this is a narrow canyon, the trail winds along and under the highway leading to spectacular views. We have also done river rafting on the river into Glenwood Springs where there is a very moving memorial to the Storm King fire that killed 14 firemen.

Another biking trail is the one that goes from Glenwood Springs down to Aspen. It is the Rio Grande Trail. It is entirely paved and only has a 1% grade so it is very easy. We have enjoyed doing this one and stopping for lunch at Carbondale on the way back. http://www.traillink.com/trail/rio-grande-trail.aspx

We may also bike from Silverthorne to Ute Pass. This is a 50 mile round trip that leads to a "beginner" pass. This pass is a short climb that is a great intro to climbing. We'll also do the bike trails to the ski town of Breckenridge where there are lots of views and interesting shops, like the hat shop that provides lots of great opportunities to pose for pictures with silly hats on our heads. This is a 25 mile journey on flat paths. There's a new bike path to try on the way back on Swan Mountain Road. We did this last year and enjoyed seeing the pros do it later as part of the Pro Challenge. Another bike path day is on to Keystone and back. This can be followed by a bike up Loveland Pass or a bike up an easy pass to a ghost town called Montezuma and back to Keystone for the more adventurous. "What's so great about dragging a bicycle up a pass?" Well, "because it is there". That about sums it up. If you understand, you already know. If you don't, no argument will convince you. Another day it's on to the world's highest bike path in Leadville Colorado. The whole path is above 10,000 feet. The signs along the way that tell the story of the mining in Leadville are great to read as you bike the path. The ride can stop there or can continue on to Twin Lake and the ride up Independence Pass. This has the most amazing view near the top where you can see the valley and the road you've just climbed. The final ride we've planned is biking from Frisco to Vail Pass and on to East Vail where an EBC member will give us lunch in her house in East Vail. Some may opt to ride back in a car that we've brought over in the AM or the hardy riders can bike back to Frisco by the bike path. (The path over to Vail is a snap, but coming back has some steep 9%+ climbs on the path.)

Lodging in Frisco can be researched at: http://summitnet.com/lodging/lodging.cfm?location=Frisco

The cheapest place we have stayed in Frisco is the Snowshoe Motel. There are rooms available for $55 to $90 per day for July. The motel has kitchenettes in some of the rooms. There are other motels also, but if you have a group, the condo or house rental will also be very inexpensive. One site we use a lot is: http://www.vrbo.com/ (vacation rental by owner). These rentals are cheaper as you don't have to pay a booking fee for an agency. I would try this site first if you want a condo or house. There is also camping in the area on Swan Mountain Road at the Lake Dillon campground. Finally there are some very nice bed and breakfasts in Frisco. They range in price from $59 to $179.

We love Colorado biking whether it is on the great paths or biking up a mountain. We will also be hiking and enjoying some of the wonderful mountain scenery. We would love to share our love of Colorado with you!

Volunteers Still Needed

In conjunction with the Elmhurst Bike Task Force and Elmhurst College, please consider joining your Club President on Saturday morning, April 14th to help out at the annual bike collection. I'm hoping 2 or 3 of you can participate between 9 a.m. and noon. Even if you can only spend an hour, please do. I'm keeping track to insure we are properly represented, so let me know if you can help out. Call me (630 790 4203) or email me at cdean69033@aol.com.

Elmhurst Bicycle Club Continues to Support the Annual All Volunteer Trails Cleanup

The Elmhurst Bicycle Club continues to support the annual all volunteer trails cleanup sponsored by the Friends of the Great Western Trails to be held on both the Great Western Trail and other trails on Saturday, 4/28 rain or shine. “The Elmhurst Bicycle Club with hundreds of members from Elmhurst and throughout the region has long supported protection of the trails’ natural beauty and believes this volunteer cleanup is another important way to help our trails and the environment. This is the 12th year they have assisted us with the cleanup. They will be cleaning the section of the Great Western Trail from Schmale Rd. on the east and Gary Ave on the west.” stated Don Kirchenberg Voluntary Chairman of the Friends of the Great Western Trails.

"We appreciate the continued support from the Elmhurst Bicycle Club in our efforts to raise awareness in the community about the trail cleanup which is a rain or shine event on Saturday 4/28. We work all year round as volunteers to protect the trails and trail users. There are many more miles of trails from Villa Park to Sycamore, IL that need to be cleaned by volunteers.”

The Friends of the Great Western Trails and many other groups coordinate the cleanup and protect the trails year around. In observance of Earth Day 2012; the Friends of the Great Western Trails has scheduled its annual trail cleanup for Saturday, April 28 rain or shine. Our goal this year is to clean all the trails including both sections of the Great Western Trail (GWTs). We are asking for your help. We want you to help us and roll up your sleeves (but wear work gloves) and pick up litter along these trails. Bring friends and family (and garbage bags to fill) on Saturday, April 28, 2012. If you, your family and/or co-workers are interested in helping us clean the Great Western Trails, please contact Don Kirchenberg via email frndsgrtwstntrl@aol.com or call 630-853-7650.

For more info. about the Great Western Trails go to their new website: http://www.friendsofthegreatwesterntrails.com.

Also, as in recent years past, Mary Ann Badke is coordinating this effort on behalf of the club. Take a look at the EBC Club Home page for a link to additional information.