The Cue Sheet

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

May
2009

Baltimore Jersey Presentation

By George Pastorino

At the March Club meeting I was pleased to present to Baltimore Ortega this I.M.B.A Jersey embroidered with his name, Elmhurst Bike Club and his moniker "29er". This was for his outstanding contributions to the EBC Mountain Bike Program. In 2008 Baltimore took charge of the EBC beginner MTB program, this is a task that requires not only a love of Mountain Biking, but also lot of patience. Baltimore excelled at both and also spent a lot of time learning Palos's complicated trail system. We are fortunate as a Club to have Baltimore as a MTB ride leader who puts the needs of his riders above his own and I am proud to call him a friend. Please join me in congratulating our very own "29er".

Morel Mushroom Festival
May 15,16 & 17, 2009

By Kären & Bill Schwartz

We will be having our Spring Green Wisconsin biking weekend again this year. There will be two biking options (a moderate ride and a fast ride) on each of three days.

Spring Green is a scenic area to cycle in as it has the Wisconsin River and rolling farm country. Larry Gitchell is planning some "flatter" rides in the area for the moderate riders. He always does a great job routing so his rides will be a great experience. The views are wonderful and the roads are a cyclists dream with little traffic and good road surfaces.

Spring Green has many interesting places to visit: the American Players Theater - world class Shakespearean theater in a natural amphitheater; the home and school of Frank Lloyd Wright; the House on the Rock; and galleries and artists' studios in Spring Green. Also, in nearby Black Earth Wisconsin is our favorite place to stop on the way to Spring Green, the Shoe Box shoe store, which is the Midwest’s largest shoe store. We always find at least one shoe bargain there or get a bratwurst from the brat cookout in the front of the store.

Of course, Saturday when we are biking in the area of Muscoda, they have the Morel Mushroom Festival where you can buy morels or take a ride in an air boat or see the antique steam engines or cars on display. The details of the Festival can be found at: http://grantcounty.org/ci/muscoda/event_morels_09.html.

The rides will start Friday around 2-3 PM from Spring Green. The exact location of the ride start, and the time of each ride, will be announced later by each ride leader. The Saturday and Sunday rides will also have the exact starting time and place announced later.

Saturday there is Muscoda Volunteer Fire Dept. Annual Steak Feed. The benefit takes place from 4 pm on at the Fire Station--701 N Wisconsin Ave. in Muscoda Wisconsin. This is always a fun activity as it involves the whole community, including everyone loaning their steak knives for the weekend!

Sunday the rides take place from Spring Green and are shorter than the Saturday rides. After everyone packs up, we head back to the Grumpy Troll Restaurant in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. This town is interesting because it has the Mustard Museum where you can purchase over 1,000 different kinds of mustard.

The places to stay in Spring Green are either a motel or a campground. Places to call to reserve:
• Wisconsin Riverside Resort (cabins) 608-588-2826
• The Usonian Inn 608-588-2323
• Round Barn Lodge 608-588-2568
• Spring Green Motel 608-588-2141
• Hill street Bed and Breakfast 608-588-7751
• House on the Rock Resort 608-588-7000
• Prairie House Motel 608-588-2088

We will stay at the Wisconsin Riverside Resort Campground in Spring Green Wisconsin. We have reserved a group of tent sites. Last year the charge was $6 a person per night. It is a nice campground with showers and a bar situated right on the Wisconsin River! If you want to camp, just email cteach3_comcast.net and let me know ahead of time so I can reserve enough room at the group campsite. The website is www.wiriverside.com.

Breakfasts are on your own, but last year we went to the Round Barn for breakfast at 7 AM and had a cheap and filling meal. Lunches will be usually a snack on the bike ride, but the ride leader will have more details on that later.

We’re looking forward to another great Wisconsin riding experience in Spring Green. Email Kären at cteach3_comcast.net with any questions or to let me know that you’re coming.

The Ride of Silence Will Not Be Quiet

By Gary Gilbert

Last year the Ride of Silence took place in 299 cities around the world. As the name implies, the ride is silent, but does make a strong statement about cyclists' rights and responsibilities on the road.

On May 20, 2009, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. This is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride 10 miles no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways.
     In 2009 local rides are planned for Chicago and Arlington Heights.

• www.rideofsilence.com/main.php for the international event
• www.rideofsilence.com/chicago for the Chicago event
• www.cyclearlington.com/events/ros_09/ros_09.html for ArlingtonHeights event

EBC Membership Directories

By Susan Sperl

Our lime green 2009 EBC Membership Directories are ready. There are 34 pages, a blank page to add new members, colored sponsors ads in the middle, page 28 has the 10 tips for safe group riding and more.

On page 1, please cross off Rich Kuhlman as Internet Bike info as they are moving to Park City, Utah.

Inside your directory, please find our tri-fold flyer, 2 stickers, an EBC business card, and your membership card(s). Please cross out or cut off all EBC phone numbers.

I want to extend a special thanks to Nancy Shack, Bill Shack who has spent over 9+ hours of his free time and Keith Garland for helping me with the directory!

I will carry the directories in my van to rides and EBC events that I attend. If you see me, please, ask me for your directory. The directories will also be available for pick up at the May meeting. Our May meeting will be our awards meeting for both Award Mileage and Ride Leaders. Please plan on attending!

2009 National Bike Summit - A report on the proceedings

By Bob Hoel

Summit attendees in the main auditorium

The Annual National Bike Summit, organized by the League of American Bicyclists, was held for the 9th time in Washington, DC on Mar. 10 – 12 at the Ronald Reagan Building. With 580 registered attendees from 47 states and 4 countries, this was the largest Summit yet.

The kickoff dinner and keynote speakers on Tuesday were truly a special event. Rep. Jim Oberstar (MN) led off the evening’s presentations. Mr. Oberstar is an avid cyclist and the new Chair of the House Transportation Committee. His commitment to active transportation (transit, pedestrian and cycling) will be critical as the Transportation Act is renewed for 2010.

Andreas Rohl, Director of the City of Copenhagen’s Bicycle Program Office, spoke next presenting facts and pictures of the state of biking in Copenhagen, where over 40% of the trips people take are by bike. Biking in Denmark is a part of the culture. There is no need to convince citizens to use bikes in lieu of automobiles, should they have one. The people do not see themselves as cyclists because everyone is a cyclist. The city has a “department of biking” but no “department of cars” which speaks volumes about their focus. Snow removal from bike racks is a first priority and over 750 thousand miles are traveled on bike every day in just Copenhagen. Mr. Rohl said that just the presence of more cyclists has the positive effect of raising awareness in car drivers. If there is a downside, it is that bike projects are generally so cheap relative to automotive projects that they get little attention. The League plans to have his talk available on their website shortly. I will post that link when it becomes available.

The Wednesday session was opened by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, most recently the U.S. Representative from the Peoria, Illinois area. In Peoria he has supported many bike initiatives and trails. His blog about the event can be read here http://fastlane.dot.gov/2009/03/cyclists-are-important-users-of-transportation-systems-.html.

Secretary LaHood was followed by Representatives Blumenauer (OR), Matsui (CA) and Lipinski (IL). Pete Blumenauer is known on Capitol Hill as Mr. Bicycle. He does not have a car in DC, only his bike which he uses to get to work every day. He even came on stage still sporting the traditional pants leg strap to keep his trousers out of the chain ring. He is largely responsible for providing the critical mass that has elevated the city of Portland, OR, to be one of the most bike friendly communities in America today. A video of his talk can be watched here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5527072340327644893.

Representative Matsui then spoke about her support for the bike movement and announced that she was introducing a Complete Streets bill in the House (H.R. 1443). Her talk can be viewed here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5225171971519783674.

The session was closed by our own Representative Lipinski, whose district covers part of Chicago and the west/southwest suburbs. His talk is available here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2784701150857668849.

The rest of Wednesday was taken up by breakout sessions preparing us for Thursday, our lobbying day on Capitol Hill. I gravitated to the talks about where the money for bike accommodations was located. It gave me insight on where to look for money besides the traditional Transportation Enhancements in the Transportation Act, such as the Energy portion because biking reduces our dependence on oil and the Education segment because education through Safe Routes to Schools also reduces our use of oil and encourages a healthy lifestyle. These dollars will come to biking from the Stimulus Bill in the form of Education and Energy Community Grants (We might as well get a slice of that pie. Even what they spill would be a lot of money.) and a fair share of the money in the re-write of the Transportation Act of 2010. Finally, I attended a session on Safe Routes to Schools to hear about several very successful programs, not the least of which is right here in the City of Chicago. We need to start growing our future cyclists in the grade schools with bike skills and rules of the road education.

• Biking is healthy;
• It promotes independence and a feeling of well being;
• Kids who actively participate in physical activity stay more focused in school; and
• Biking and walking reduces congestion around our schools.

Wednesday was closed out with a coordination session of the Illinois delegation composed of the Active Transportation Alliance (4 people), League of Illinois Bicyclists (2 people) and members at large (6 people). Thursday was to be the focus of the Summit where we would canvas/lobby our elected representatives on Capitol Hill for the benefit of bike and pedestrian accommodations in these 4 main areas:

1. Passage of a Complete Streets bill;
2. Re-write of Transportation Act to more favorably benefit non-motorized forms of transportation;
3. A larger share of the Transportation dollars for bike/ped safety. (In Illinois, 15% of traffic fatalities involve cyclists and pedestrians while only 1% of the money for safety goes for bike/ped issues.)
4. Urge our elected reps to join the Congressional Bike Caucus, a bipartisan group that works to improve the bike environment in America.

The full text of these issues is located in this article: America Bikes Agenda (www.ElmhurstBicycling.org/advocacy/pdf/AmericaBikesAgenda.pdf).

The Illinois delegation split into 3, and sometimes 4, groups with each group containing a specialist on each of the above areas. We studied up on the issues over night and were pumped to start the big adventure on Thursday.

The Illinois delegation meeting with our Senators Durbin and Burris.

Senators Durbin and Burris start each Thursday at 8:30 with breakfast/reception for their constituents. (Less you be concerned about what this must be costing us taxpayers, fear not because Dunkin Doughnuts are cheap! This ended with a requisite picture of the group with our dignitaries.

Then we were off to Capitol Hill for the day’s work. The Illinois delegation met again with both Senators and legislative staff of 17 of the 19 Illinois Representatives. In a few cases the Representative made it a point to meet his constituents, especially when we had a person from their district in our group. In general we were received warmly by the staff but there were exceptions that seemed openly hostile to the idea of cycling. The day ended with a reception in one of the Senate Office Building which was attended by a handful of our elected representatives.

Overall it was quite impressive and empowering. I had the opportunity to work alongside some of the movers and shakers of the bike world, such as Ed Barsotti (LIB), Rob Sadowsky (ATA), Jim Sayer (Adventure Cycling), Andy Clarke (LAB) and Jeff Miller (Alliance for Biking and Walking, the old Thunderhead Alliance). In the process I presented a check from the Elmhurst Bicycle Club for $1,000 to LAB at their Annual Meeting attended by about 150 people. (It would have been more people but the bar was open. )

The Summit ended with a group ride through the DC area led by the Washington Area Bicycle Association. The ride started in snow flakes and it never warmed to more than 35 degrees.

Advocacy Update

By Bob Hoel

On Monday, April 6, the Elmhurst Bike Task Force delivered its report to the Mayor. The report can be viewed, along with other items the Task Force has generated on their web page at www.elmhurst.org/index.asp?NID=782.

The Elmhurst Bike Task Force was formed by and served during the remaining term of the outgoing Mayor Marcucci. With the recent election the Task Force will have to be continued by the newly elected Mayor DiCianni. All indications are that this will happen and the Task Force intends to continue working as they have been.

I met recently with the Elmhurst PTA Council to explain the purpose of the Bike Task Force and to start discussions on a Safe Routes to Schools program. (The Council is made up of all the individual school PTA presidents, the District 205 Superintendent and the president of the Dist. 205 Board.) The idea was well received and we will continue discussions on how best to undertake such a program. Grant money for such programs is available from the Illinois Department of Transportation. For more information on this program go to www.saferoutesinfo.org/.

A few weeks ago I met with the Mayor of Northlake to talk about a good bike route between Northlake and Elmhurst. This is along the old Lake Street as it runs along I-290 and North Avenue traveling under I-294 and the railroad tracks. The Mayor has stated publicly his interest in such a corridor and has been pursuing a route that would take people through the Union Pacific rail yards on the east side of 294. The rail company does not support this idea because they do not want to encourage people traveling through their rail yard. Cleaning the mud on the sidewalk from under the existing sidewalk would help a lot.

We have several upcoming events that will provide an opportunity to promote the Club and recruit new members. We will need volunteers to assist.

• May 16 – Elmhurst Park District Family Bike-a-thon. 10 am to noon at the Old Train Depot at the Prairie Path and York Road. It is a fun time helping kids with their helmets, bike adjustments and talking to people about biking.
  Note: this is a corrected date from what had previously been reported.


• June 19 – Bike to Metra Day, Elmhurst station. Sponsored by Active Transportation, DuPage County and the Elmhurst Bike Club. The Club has worked this event for several years. We need a Club coordinator as I will not be in town for it. The timing runs from about 6:30 am to 8:30 am. If you can’t help at the Elmhurst Station I will be publishing the days when similar welcome tables will be set up at other Metra stations in DuPage County. Active Trans is always looking for more volunteers to help at all locations.


• June 10 – Shop by Bike demonstration at the Elmhurst Farmers Market. The Club will have a table set up for Club information and to show people how easy it is to do shopping and those short errands by bike. We will need 3 – 4 volunteers with their “shopping gear”. 7 am – about noon. We will do a second session on July 8.

Mileage Credit for Invitational Rides

By Steve Josephs

The EBC board decided to give members mileage credit for Invitational Rides. We are doing this to encourage our members to support other clubs through their invitational rides. We will carefully monitor and review how this is going as we try this new policy over the course of this year.

The rules for mileage credit are the same as for any other club ride -
1. The ride needs to be listed in the newsletter or be a valid late addition, and there is an EBC club member who lists the ride and acts as the ride leader.
2. The ride is specific as to time, location, pace and distance, and the members meet at the designated time, sign in and do the ride as a group per the listing.
3. If the ride is out of town, it needs to be listed in the "upcoming events" on the website and the newsletter 60 days in advance, and at least 4 members need to do the ride for it to count. Out of town rides are not eligible for listing as a late addition. (an out of town ride is a ride that cannot be done by someone leaving Elmhurst early that same morning)
4. The ride needs to be open to all EBC members that want to do the ride - ie, if the ride is closed, or subject to lottery for entry, or requires membership in another organization, etc., this is not eligible as a club ride.
5. The fee to do the ride needs to be in the $20 range. (or a similar daily fee for a multi-ride)

I am sure there will be some small issues and questions that arise, but our intent is to encourage our membership to ride in club invitationals as a group of EBC members.

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.

May 2009   •   •   •   Club Rides

Note: The most current ride schedule can be found on our website at http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/rides/currentRide.aspx.

Ride Pace - by Steve Josephs, Ride Captain
Where there is not a miles per hour to describe the pace of a ride, please use the following as a guide:
8-10 = very slow    10-12 = slow    12-14 = moderate    14-16 = medium    16-18 = fast    18-20+ = very fast
 

Note: The most current ride schedule can be found on our website at http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/rides/currentRide.aspx.

FOR SALE   *   *   *   Used Bicycles and Related Items  *  *  *  FOR SALE