Kansas Cyclist - Kansas Bicycle Guide and Reference

Each year about this time, DeWayne Bryan, executive director of the Pratt Health Foundation, teaches an after-school bicycle safety at Elementary schools in Pratt, a town of about 6500 people in south-central Kansas:

With helmets on and properly adjusted, a review of hand signals and rules of the road, 13 bicyclists followed their leader away from Southwest Elementary School for a one-mile ride after school on Monday.

The sessions are held twice a week through the first week of May. Bryan adjusts the length of the ride to the fitness of the students, with a goal of reaching three miles after a few sessions.

This program teaches students the rules of the road, how to use hand signals, safe riding habits, how to use a bicycle helmet, and the positive benefits of physical activity. “Tickets” are given to students who do not use proper signals on their bikes or who don’t listen to instructions.

Each student who attends at least 80 percent of the sessions gets a free bicycle helmet, and those with no more than three tickets are entered in a drawing for a new bicycle, donated my local merchants.

Since 1996, more than 300 students have participated in the Bicycle Safety & Fitness program.

“Not only does this program encourage physical activity,” Bryan said, “but hopefully, this program helps to decrease the number of head injuries by encouraging the use of helmets, decrease the number of bicycle/car accidents and encourage kids to exercise safely.”

Learn More: Pratt Health Foundation, Pratt Tribune. (Image courtesy of the Pratt Tribune.)

In an event loosely inspired by Critical Mass, cyclists in Cedar Rapids, Iowa rode the city’s first “Bike Lane Friday” on March 28th.

Over two dozen cyclists, most members of local bike clubs, rode on four-lane arterial roads, occupying the entire right-hand lane. The purpose of the ride was to make the point that cyclists, whether riding singly or in groups, are entitled to the full width of a traffic lane, and motorists should move into the other lane when passing, rather than trying to squeeze by within the same lane.

The cyclists reported supportive waves and honks during their ride, with only one abusive motorist shouting for them to “get off the road”, a common refrain heard from drivers everywhere.

Comments on the local newspaper’s web site were less encouraging: “Exercise and enjoy bicycling elsewhere - OFF THE MAIN THOROUGHFARES!” and “I hate to see bikes and joggers on main roads like this. We spend millions of dollars on public trails, yet people still feel the need to exercise on main roads.”

Local cyclists are hopeful that Bike Lane Friday becomes a regular monthly tradition, a way to politely celebrate and demonstrate their rights to the road, and an encouragement for potential riders to use their bicycles for both recreation and basic transportation.

That sounds like a worthy goal, and perhaps cyclists in other communities should consider their own versions of Bike Lane Friday, a safe, legal, and less confrontational version of Critical Mass.

Read more: Bicyclists make point during first Bike Lane Friday

The Missouri Bicycle Federation is reporting that several new bicycle-related pieces of legislation are working their way through the Missouri house and senate:

• Missouri “Complete Streets” Bill advances - Missouri’s “Complete Streets” bill, HB 2206, passed the House Rules Committee and is now on the House Consent Calendar. That means it is awaiting a vote of the full House. The nationwide Complete Streets movement is based on the idea that state, regional, and local agencies should plan, design, and build our transportation network to meet the needs of all users.

• Dead Red for bicycles and Safe Passing of Bicycles provisions pass Missouri Senate - SB 761, a bill with two important provisions for bicyclists, was debated and passed the Missouri Senate. The “dead red” part of the bill allows motorcyclists or bicyclists who come to a traffic signal that will not change for them, to proceed through the signal, when safe, without any danger of receiving a traffic ticket. The “safe passing” part of the bill includes a provision that motorists may cross a solid yellow “no passing zone” line to pass bicyclists, when it is safe to do so. The idea is to encourage motorists to change lanes when passing, rather than trying to squeeze both a motor vehicle and a bicycle within a single lane of traffic. After passing the senate, the bill moves on to the House.

• Safe Streets Bill has hearing in Missouri House - HB2205, the “Safe Streets” bill with enhanced penalties for those whose careless driving injures or kills, had a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.

It takes a tremendous amount of time and hard work to get bills proposed, written, sponsored, and moving forward. Thank you MoBikeFed, for your dedication in supporting this important legislation.

The Jan/Feb 2008 issue of American Bicyclist contains an article titled “The Road To Health”, that profiles seven cyclists who’ve “battled a variety of illnesses, helped along by their dedication to cycling.”

One of the cyclists profiled is Bill Poindexter of Prairie Village, Kansas, who credits cycling with helping him lose more than 100 pounds and gain a healthier lifestyle:

In 2000, I weighed just over 400 pounds. I suffered from anxiety, shortness of breath, high blood sugar, and depression. I decided to turn my life around after looking in the the mirror and realizing I would not live very long or have a very high quality of life. I went to the doctor for a physical and got some medicine for the anxiety, and then started a walking and stationary biking program. I changed my diet as well, and within five months had lost 40 pounds. At that point I bought a bicycle.

I started to ride the bike for transportation as well as exercise. I was car free for two and a half years. Over that time, weight continued to come off, my anxiety decreased, I experienced no more shortness of breath, my blood sugar stabilized, and I no longer needed medication!

It is now January of 2008, and I weigh 265 pounds, and am in excellent health. I ride 6,000-8,000 miles a year for transportation, commuting, and exercise purposes…

Way to go, Bill!

Many of the complaints cyclists hear from motorists seem to revolve around group rides — cyclists not stopping at stop signs, riding more than two abreast, or not showing consideration for motorists queued up behind a large peloton. And in truth, large groups often do seem to bring out the worst behavior, as if there’s a none-too-subtle peer pressure to ride aggressively.

An article in The Oregonian (Bike ride leaders react to perils with awareness) discusses what one Portland-area cycling club has done to improve the safety of their rides:

On Saturday mornings this month, Ohnstad is leading three- and four-hour cycling adventures along scenic back roads throughout the county. He expects 70 to 120 riders to participate in each ride.

Unlike past rides, when any free spirit could join, only those who agree to the club’s new code of conduct will be allowed to accompany the group. Riders must agree to wear a helmet, follow leaders’ hand signals, call out road and traffic hazards and obey traffic laws.

“I’m telling everyone that we have to share responsibility along with drivers for what happens in traffic,” he said. “One way to do that is make our actions on the road predictable to motorized vehicles.”

One weekly group ride I participate in begins each ride with a “safety talk”, in which one or more riders bring up a suggestion or a concern, and the group discusses this for a few minutes before hitting the road. This are occasionally a few awkward moments as poor decisions or dangerous behaviors are bought up, but the overall tone is positive, rather than critical, and the discussions haven’t seemed to chase anyone away.

Now, this is a small group, and this approach may not work for larger rides, but I for one appreciate the sentiment, and often find the discussions valuable.

Do any of your club or group rides include a code of conduct or a safety talk?

In Riding High : Two Decades After Its Genesis In The Area, Mountain Bikes Rolling On Faster Than Ever, Kevin Kinder of the Northwest Arkansas Times writes:

With an increasing number of trails, riders and networking opportunities, local mountain bike enthusiasts say, Arkansas is one of the best states in the country for the activity. Mountain biking is well-established in Northwest Arkansas, and one of the major outdoor destinations in the area, Devil’s Den State Park near West Fork, is celebrating the 20th year of biking in the park. The park will host a weekend celebration April 5-6 designed to give both novices and experts a challenge.

Devil’s Den offers a blend of double track and single track that wind through the scenic Ozark Mountains, and are some of the best mountain bike trails in the state. The article also lists a number of other popular trails in Northwest Arkansas:

In addition to the trails at Devil’s Den, there are several other local draws. The Lake Fayetteville Trail offers many options. Riders can in Washington County also find trails at Lake Wedington. Many local bikers also travel to Slaughter Pen Hollow Mountain Bike Trail in north Bentonville, Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area near Rogers or the Lake Leatherwood Trail near Eureka Springs.

The Ozarks’ hills, and the national forests to the south, make for great rides, Moore said. “Arkansas, I would say, is one of the undiscovered locations for mountain biking,” he said. “[Riders] aren’t going to be bored with the trails around here.”

Learn more about the Ozark Mountain Bike Festival and Devil’s Den State Park at ArkansasStateParks.com.

March 29th is the date for the 4th annual Cabin Fever Challenge, one of the first organized rides of the year. Celebrate the coming of Spring with a trip to Pottawatomie County, Kansas, and enjoy the scenic beauty of the northern Flint Hills.

The Cabin Fever Challenge offers routes of 18.5, 34.5, and 57 miles on paved, rural, low-traffic roads. The ride begins and ends at Wamego Middle School, 1701 Kaw Valley Road, in Wamego (see map). Check-in time is 7:30-8:45, with a mass start at 9:00am.

The ride has a $25 entry fee, which includes breakfast before the ride, snacks and drinks at the rest stops, and mechanical and SAG support along the route. The proceeds from the ride will help to fund the WAM-SAG-MAN Recreational Trail that will begin in Wamego and connect with Saint George and Manhattan’s Linear Trail.

There will also be a drawing for eight $15 Road ID certificates, and massage therapists will be available after the ride to soothe your sore muscles. In addition, the Pottawatomie/Wabaunsee County Safe Kids Chapter will give away free bicycle helmets from 8am to 10am (or until supplies last) at the Wamego Middle School.

For more details view the registration form, visit ecodevo.com, email brandi@ecodevo.com, or call 785-456-9776.

The March/April 2008 edition of Masters Athlete magazine features an article on last December’s Kansas City Cyclocross National Championships (Cold, dirty victory), focusing on two local cyclists:

Catherine Walberg and Steve Tilford both hail from Topeka, Kan. The two defending cyclocross national champions train together, and they both race in the 45-49 age group.

The two champions took very different approaches to victory, with Tilford leading his race wire-to-wire, and Walberg (shown on the right) only gaining her lead on the final lap, but both riders emerged victorious.

If you’re interested in reading more, Steve Tilford has his own blog, and the Trek Bicycle Store of Kansas City features The Tilford Interview. CyclingUpdate.com offers an Interview with Catherine Walberg.

Congratulations, Steve and Catherine — all hail the victors!

Stephanie Meehan is a senior at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, and Alexandra Kossoy is a senior at Grinnell College. This summer, the Kansas natives each plan to bicycle 3,500 miles across the country to raise awareness for affordable housing.

They are riding on one of seven fund-raising cycling tours organized by Bike and Build, an organization which, over the last five years, has contributed over one million dollars to housing groups across the nation.

As they cross the United States on their bikes, Bike and Build riders stop every few days to help build affordable houses for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Cyclists also give presentations in communities along the route, in order to help raise awareness of the need for affordable housing.

Stephanie and Alexandra are riding on the Boston to Santa Barbara route, which starts in Boston, MA on June 11th, and ends in Santa Barbara, CA on August 15th. Along the way, the route passes through Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Three of the other Bike and Build routes pass through Kansas: the Central U.S. route stops in Lawrence, Manhattan, Clay Center, Beloit, Phillipsburg, Oberlin, and St. Francis, June 13-20; the North Carolina to San Diego route passes through Coldwater, Dodge City, and Garden City, June 27-29; and the Providence to San Francisco route, which stops in Manhattan and Beloit on July 5-6.

Each rider must raise $4,000 in order to participate. If you’d like to make a tax deductible contribution to Bike and Build, you can do so at bikeandbuild.org.

If you live in one of the host communities, or along the routes, be sure to give the riders a taste of the legendary Kansas hospitality, and show your appreciate for their efforts in this worthy cause.

See also: Student plans bike ride across country at The University Daily Kansan, and KU students to cycle coast to coast at The Lawrence Journal-World.

On his CycleDog blog, Ed Wagner writes about Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Tulsa Townies bike-sharing program, and the lack of credit Tulsa has received for the initiative.

Bike-sharing programs were apparently one of the hot topics at the recent National Bike Summit, with both Portland and Washington, DC close to launching new bicycle-sharing programs. Some reports even indicated that the two cities were fighting to be the first such program in the US.

Meanwhile, the Tulsa Townies program, which allows the public to “check out” a bike from four self-service kiosks along the Tulsa trail system, was launched in 2007, and plans to expand its services this year.

Regarding the program being largely overlooked by national bicycling groups and media, Ed says that “Yes, it bothers me greatly. We have a good system here. It works. And since Tulsa isn’t known as a trendy cycling town, that popular bike share program is relegated to obscurity.”

In addition to the self-service-style bike sharing programs such as Tulsa Townies, there are also “bike library” programs, which allow bicycles to be checked out from a central location, sometimes for longer periods. Programs of this type include the Fort Collins Bike Library in Colorado, the Iowa City Bike Library in Iowa, and the Healthy Pedals program in North Platte, Nebraska.