The Cue Sheet

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

September
2009

Salt Creek Greenway Trail North Leg

By Bob Hoel

For those who have not discovered it already, the north leg of the Salt Creek Greenway Trail is under construction. I have taken pictures and they are posted on our web site on the advocacy page top of the left column at: http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/abt_advocacy.asp

Though landscaping may not be complete this year, the trail itself is expected to be paved no later than November. The completed trail will go from Busse Woods to Bemis Woods (30+ miles one way) with only minor on-street portions. And, as previously reported, there is now a "bike entrance" to Brookfield Zoo off the Salt Creek Trail at its current conclusion at the entrance to the British home at 31st. It is well marked.

The Mansion Ride

By Baltimore Ortega

The "Mansion Ride" led by John Park on Saturday was a fun day full of bike riding, sightseeing, good eating, ice cream, and a nutrition "recovery" pizza party at the end of the ride. We rode through some nice neighborhoods with several sightseeing stops where John provided us with interesting information. At the graveyard John told us the spooky story of how he and Roland fell with their bikes after "something" made them slip? He refused to enter the graveyard and most of us stayed with him outside in case "something" visited us. The few brave cyclists who entered returned safely. The big sandwiches at Bluffington's are served with fresh bread, crunchy pickle slices, and a side order. We all enjoyed a good lunch with plenty of cycling stories and then a nice stop at the park overlooking Lake Michigan. We had a few drops of rain in the morning but most of the day was dry with some sunshine.

As the day went on we all seemed to come together as a team riding at a nice pace. Everyone seemed friendly, supportive, and courteous. This year John threw in a stop at the beach where some of the riders walked in Lake Michigan to cool off. Later we visited an ice cream shop where we had some delicious treats to cool us down. At some point Nancy Rice called Burt's Pizza and spoke to Burt. She gave him our orders because they only cook a limited number of pizzas and you have to tell them when you expect to arrive. John had to pull us out of the ice cream shop so we could make our reservation on time. Since we had spent a good part of the day eating we decided to justify our pizza party by calling it a "recovery" nutrition and hydration stop. Burt came by to welcome us and talked about his antique collection in his restaurant while we enjoyed the food and beverages.

As I have stated before, the sign of a good ride leader is the ability to make it about the riders. Our club is fortunate to have a lot of good ride leaders. I think John Park is a thoughtful and considerate person who is one of our best ride leaders. It was easy to see he put a lot of time and effort in the ride to make it a success. He also maintained a good pace, made sure we had enough stops, answered all questions, and kept an eye on the two new members who joined us. Maybe next year you can join us for the "Mansion Ride". EBC offers many fun and interesting rides. Thank you to the following new and old members who shared a nice friendly social ride, and best wishes to all EBC members on your rides: Don W., Mary Lee St. A., Julie Ann S., Homer C., Sharon G., Nancy R., Annette S., and David D., John P.

Emergency Chain Repair

By Karen Schwartz

Bill and I have had two instances of riders breaking chains on bike rides in the last two weeks. The emergency repair is something called a "quick link". It allows you to splice the broken chain back together instantly. It weighs nothing and can easily be put in with your CO2 cartridge and inner tube. I mention it because we were just in the Trek Store on Ogden Ave in Downers Grove buying a tool to tune up the tandem, when we spotted these quick links. They only cost $2.95 to $4.95, depending on if you need a 7,8,9, 10 or 11 speed quick link. The price is the best I've seen locally. If you don't carry a quick link, you might want to get one when you're in Downers.

Mary Jo’s Ride to Chicago

By Al Stanke and Roland Porter

Sweep Betty Bond and ride leader Mary Jo Bolan.

Mary Jo, what a job you did yesterday, to lead us to the lakefront at Foster Ave. Beach, then to Millennium Park for lunch while listening to music. And then on to 63rd Street. The "L" ride back to Oak Park was great, they let us all go on one train, we were 5 in our car. Thank you very much for a very well organized trip.

All club rides are interesting but some are more interesting than others. Well, folks, Mary Jo outdid us all today. Where else can you ride the el train from its beginning at 63rd and Cottage Grove to its end at Lake and Harlem in Oak Park and still be on a club ride? We did it plus 47 miles of actual fascinating city biking. Route: Depot to the lake front at Wilson avenue, then down to Monroe street for lunch in the park (very Parisian)--Turns out the gals don't carry tools in their bags, they carry food. Good too. Then on down the lake to 63rd and ride to the depot after the el train. Fourteen riders finished well satisfied but not necessarily well rested. We all thanked Mary Jo and will see her again when she leads the Friday breakfast ride. Be there!

Letter from the City of Warrenville

By Ray Dal Lago

Thanks again to all of you who attended the August EBC meeting. By coincidence, my safety talk parallels the following letter from the City of Warrenville which was sent to all the area bike clubs. Please read it. While a vast majority of EBC riders are practicing safe riding habits (thank you very much!), there are a few riders who set a bad example for the rest of us by running red lights, riding three abreast, etc. Please, please, please make every attempt to become a safe, law abiding rider. Ride leaders, please stress the importance of safe riding. We all know the rules and we know what the road signs mean. Let's follow the rules. Enough said.

Dear Club Manager:

The Warrenville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (WBPAC) has developed and received unanimous City Council approval for a Bikeway Implementation Plan. The Plan is intended to provide guidance to the City Council in creating new bicycle facilities and improving existing facilities. Another important goal identified by the WBPAC is for the City of Warrenville to gain official recognition as a "Bicycle Friendly Community" through the acceptance of an application submitted in 2009 to the League of Illinois Bicyclists.

Implementing the Plan will require considerable expenditure of City funds. Consequently, public support is vital to persuade Council members that those expenditures are warranted and are desired by the community. Public support is also absolutely necessary to garner the "Bicycle Friendly Community" designation. At a recent City Council meeting and other public meetings, comments were made about groups of cyclists taking up an entire lane, blocking a street and keeping a stoplight from being activated. In addition, they would not move to the side to let motorists by in other areas. The sentiment was, "why should we do anything for cyclists when they can't be courteous to motorists?" This type of comment is not helpful in convincing Warrenville City Council members to allocate funds for bicycling related projects. In fact we recently had a narrow vote of 5-3 in favor of spending funds to develop engineering plans for the City.

As I am sure you are aware, the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) 5/11-1505.1 requires that cyclists ride no more than two abreast, and that they do not impede the normal movement of vehicular traffic. Local police have the ability to enforce this statute via issuing citations which would either require a court appearance or fine. With these recent public comments, Warrenville Police have been put on notice to watch for such violations.

Please remind your ride leaders and touring groups about the requirements of the law and basic bicyclist etiquette. Warrenville is doing what it can to make the community bicyclefriendly and welcomes cyclists to visit our City. We just ask that cyclists abide by the law.

Your cooperation and support of our initiatives is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
William F. Weidner
Alderman Ward 2 & active citizen bicyclist

Alan M. Gard
Chair Warrenville Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee

Self-Contained Tour to Twin Lakes, WI

By Nancy Rice

Photo by Mary Moroney

Thanks to Betty Bond and Jerry Ringier for another successful touring trip, meticulously planned and executed, as usual. Betty and Jerry are pros at looking out for their riders and teaching them the ropes of touring. The restaurant choices, campground, and route were all excellent.

The second day, Rich led us on trails home and gave us expert advice on how to tackle the infamous Rollers near Crystal Lake. Freda led us on an alternate route, if we didn’t want to risk the Rollers when fully loaded with gear. Ted was always there to guide riders who straggled. Ted and Rich and Jerry worked for an hour to fix my baffling rear tire, which flatted four times.

Julie Anne Sebastian did her first self contained tour like a seasoned pro. Resourceful Al found the way to camp on his own. Strong rider Kathy Wagner braved the Rollers towing a loaded Burley trailer. Our group of fourteen riders also included Carol Nield, Gerry, Mary Jo, Sam, and Susan. We enjoyed fine views of the setting sun over Twin Lakes as we ate dinner, and tackled king-sized breakfast platters at Manny's Diner.

As Jerry Ringier told me as he worked on my tire for the fourth time, smiling broadly, “It’s all part of touring. Life is great!”

I hope all club members get a chance to tour one day with this group. They always have a good time.

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.

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