Kansas Cyclist - Kansas Bicycle Guide and Reference

Men’s Fitness magazine has published it’s annual rankings of The Fittest and Fattest Cities in America. They ranked Colorado Springs as the fittest city, and Las Vegas as the fattest city. Here are how some of the other cities in our region fared in the rankings:

• Denver – 4th Fittest City
• Omaha – 11th Fittest City
• Kansas City – 15th Fittest City
• Wichita – 25th Fittest City
• Oklahoma City – 8th Fattest City

A few interesting notes:

• Denver residents are into fitness bicycling — they do it about 126 percent more than average, the highest overall rate among cities in the survey.
• There is a higher percentage of mountain bikers in Denver than almost anywhere else in the survey — 11.5 percent of residents. The national average is 2.5 percent.
• Despite wide availability of local running and biking trails, as well as high air quality, Oklahoma City residents are 30 percent less likely than average to jog or cycle.

As for Colorado Springs, the article contains a good bit of information about how it achieved its exalted ranking, detailing a bit about the culture of the place, and the wealth of fitness-related amenities that the city provides. For example:

Fittingly, this city full of athletes is also a city full of trails. Colorado Springs residents made an important investment in 1997 when 51% of them voted for TOPS — Trails, Open Space, and Parks — a 1/10 of 1% sales tax that generates $6 million a year to acquire undeveloped land of environmental interests. (The plan came up for an extension in 2003; 68% said yes.)

Christian M. Lieber, a landscape architect with aspirations of one day cycling across the country with his family, manages TOPS for the city parks department. Unfurling a big map, Lieber explains how he’s turning one of Colorado Springs’ least attractive features-sprawl-into an asset. About a third of the city remains undeveloped, so he has his eye on huge parcels that could remain open as the housing market revives, uniting far-flung neighborhoods. Springs officials believe growth, conservation, and fitness can all happen together. “We recognize that growth and development are good for our economy. But we try to find a balance,” Lieber says.

One final quote, from a Colorado Springs resident who had previously lived somewhere in Kansas: “This is by far the most fit, activity-driven community I’ve ever lived in. In Kansas, when you get together socially, it’s all around food. In Colorado when you get together socially, it’s at a trailhead.”

Congratulations to Colorado Springs, and to a less extent, Denver, Kansas City, and Omaha. Wichita and (especially) Oklahoma City — you need to step it up!

Gene Bisbee runs a web site called Biking Bis, which covers an incredible variety of bicycling news and information. His site maintains a comprehensive list of multi-day bicycle tours, and in compiling this year’s list, Gene noticed “the amazing artwork that some tours use to publicize their events. I’m particularly impressed by ones that keep the bicycle motif, but also lend a flavor from the state they represent.”

In 10 amazing logos for across-state bicycle tours, Bis puts Kansas’ own Border Raiders logo at the top of his list, saying that it is “probably the most unforgettable. John Brown is hoisting a wheel and a tire pump, looking a lot like an angry dude who has suffered his 5th blowout of the day.”

Other logos Bis finds striking include those for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, Oklahoma FreeWheel and RAGBRAI.

Biking Across Kansas doesn’t appear to have a logo this year (or at least it’s not readily apparent on their site), so they didn’t make the list.

Read the full article for the entire list.

(Also worth reading: Gene cycled across the country in 1984, coming through Kansas along the way. Read his TransAmerica Bicycle Tour Journal for details.)

North Platte, Nebraska has a borrow-a-bike program called “Healthy Pedals”, which provides bicycles and gear that residents and visitors can check out, free of charge, to explore the trails, streets, and highways. North Platte is the point where the North Platte River and South Platte River join to create the Platte River, and the resulting river valleys are among the most scenic areas in the state.

North Platte has an extensive trail system, and numerous lakes and parks. Other North Platte attractions include the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, the world’s largest railyard, Bailey Yard, the Lincoln County Historical Museum, containing displays detailing the history of the famous North Platte World War II Canteen, and the 20th Century Veterans Memorial.

The Healthy Pedals bicycle checkout program is housed at the North Platte Recreation Center (1300 South McDonald Road), which offers bicycles for adults and children, including tandems and trailers. Checkouts are free of charge with a valid drivers license and a valid credit or debit card. Helmets and locks are also provided at no charge. You can also rent GPS devices for a modest fee.

Although walk-ins are welcome, you are encouraged to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance. Reserve your bikes by calling 308-535-6772.

See also: North Platte Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Guam cyclist Jun Noche, writing a guest editorial in the Marianas Variety newspaper, discusses cycling on this small tropical island in the western Pacific Ocean, which Jun describes as “a heaven for riders on two-wheels”.

But, like any place where bicycles and automobiles share the same roads, there are potential conflicts. In pleading for “a few feet of space on the road”, Jun cites the following:

In Kansas, a group of cyclists successfully added the following “bike-safety” question onto the driver’s test: “When passing a bicyclist on the road, drivers should give the cyclist at least: (a) two feet of clearance (b) three feet of clearance (c) four feet of clearance.”

The answer is “c.” (Source: Jan/Feb. 2008 issue of Bicycling Magazine, “Broken” pp. 57 ff.)

We have approached the governor, a budding cyclist, and dedicated leaders to help us follow the Kansas example.

This is just a start of what we hope to be a more bicycle-friendly Guam.

The Bicycling Magazine article Jun referenced is online at One Really Good, Really Simple Idea:

In Kansas, drivers must pass a 20-question, multiple-choice, take-home exam as part of the license-renewal process. Craig Weinaug, a member of the Lawrence Bicycle Club and a county administrator, says, “I could answer most of the questions without looking in the drivers’ manual, but there are always a few things you have to look up.” While flipping through the 64-page book, he spotted a page devoted to bike safety. “I figured, if a question about bike safety was on the test and if I could force everybody in the state to read that section of the manual at least once, things might be a little safer for cyclists.” After two years of prodding, Weinaug convinced the appropriate Kansas official to put a bike-safety question on the test.

Isn’t it amazing that such a simple thing should take two years to accomplish, and that it could inspire someone half-way around the world to try to improve their conditions as well? Thank you, Craig.

Lose the Training Wheels is a program that teaches disabled children and adults how to ride a conventional bicycle without training wheels. The program was started by Dr. Richard Klein, who conducts 5-day training camps across the nation.

The program teaches that many people, including children with varied disabilities, can be taught to become successful bike riders — even accomplished bike riders -– without training wheels.

The program uses a series of adapted bikes to acclimate children to bicycles, starting with bicycles that use two large rollers in place of wheels, and gradually moving up to conventional bicycles with two standard wheels.

When a child is able to master riding a bicycle, the benefits become instantly evident. The child smiles, and the child wants to get onto the bike to ride around. Some of the longer-term benefits include peer inclusion, success at an age-appropriate activity, improved exercise opportunities, increased stamina, increased cognitive stimulation and decision-making, and even the ability for families to participate in a fun activity as a group.

There is an approximate 80 percent success rate of camp participants that are able to independently ride a two-wheeled bicycle by the end of the week. Children that have benefited most from the program are those that have use of all limbs, have adequate vision to see and avoid obstacles and, above all, the desire to “lose the training wheels.”

Two camps are scheduled for Kansas in 2008:

• March 17 to March 21, 2008 in Overland Park at Johnson County Community College. The contact person is David Krug (dkrug@jccc.edu), office phone 913-469-8500 x4764. (See brochure)
• May 27 to May 31, 2008 in Wichita KS. The host organization is the Independent Resource Living Center. The contact person is Matt Hampton (matt.hampton@losethetrainingwheels.org), phone 316-942-6300.

Other camps are scheduled throughout the nation. Refer to the complete schedule at losethetrainingwheels.org.

See also: Daily Peloton, San Antonio, Portland, YouTube video.

Washington, DC was the site of the 2008 National Bike Summit, which took place March 4-6, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists.

Bicycle advocates, industry leaders, and retailers from around the nation gathered for two-and-a-half days of workshops, training, and meetings with members of Congress and their staff in an effort to forge a new national consensus on the value of getting more people riding bikes more often.

Many of the states in the nation were represented at the summit. There was no official delegation from Kansas (the nascent KanBikeWalk organization being still in the “launch” phase). Regionally, delegations from Iowa and Missouri attended.

For more information, refer to coverage of the summit from the Missouri Bicycle Federation and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Further afield, BikePortland provided comprehensive coverage of the event. You can also view summit photos at Flickr (photo above courtesy of BikePortland).

Yield to Life is a new public-education campaign that aims to promote positive attitudes toward cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect, and appreciation for all life on the road.

Yield to Life was founded by professional cyclist David Zabriskie. Here’s why he’s behind this effort:

As a professional cyclist I have ridden my bike all over the world, but, sadly, each of the three times that I have been hit by a car has been in the United States; the worst of the accidents was in 2003.

I had just flown back to Salt Lake after my most successful season to date when, on May 23, I was in Millcreek Canyon in Salt Lake City. I was enjoying one of my favorite rides when I was hit by an SUV on the way down. The SUV made a left hand turn directly into me. I flew through the air and landed on the ground, unable to move the left side of my body. After spending a week in the hospital, I left with pins in my wrist and my leg, and some cadaver bone in my knee. The doctors did not think I would ride again.

It took a lot of hard work and determination to come back from my injuries. I often wonder what I could have accomplished had I not had such a devastating set back. I also wonder what went through the driver’s mind when she hit me. If she had only thought of me as life, a living, breathing person, rather than an obstacle in her way. Did she ever consider the prolonged agony she was creating by her reckless attitude and wrongful acts? If she had just waited a split second for my safe passage, I would have not been reduced to a wheelchair for months, and then in need of a walker and painful rehabilitation to even walk again, let alone ride a bike.

Ultimately, I was able to overcome my accident; but there are many riders who are not as fortunate. As I hear of the countless other cyclists who have been badly injured and, worse yet, killed by motorists, it sometimes seems as if we are viewed merely as nuisances who don’t deserve consideration on the road.

It is my mission to humanize and personalize cyclists to help motorists to always be aware that we are “life” and that we deserve a safe space on the road. I love to ride my bike as do my fellow cyclists, but we should not have to place out lives at risk everyday for that enjoyment.

Yield to Life is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a safer environment for cyclists and, by so doing, encouraging more people to ride for their own health, the good of the environment and the well being of society.

By making cycling safer and promoting the activity as a responsible means of transportation and a healthy means of recreation, Yield to Life can contribute to tackling some of today’s major concerns—from such issues as pollution and global warming to obesity and diabetes. In this way, Yield to Life can play a role in increasing the quality of life not only for cyclists, but for everyone—for our generation and those to come.

It’s a laudable goal, and one every cyclist should support.

Thanks to Bradly at Bicycle Frenzy for the heads-up on this.

The Winter 2007-08 edition of The Nebraska Blueprint has two bicycle-related articles:

• Bike Lanes: Making Space for Safety discusses the evolution of the bike lanes in downtown Lincoln, and quotes Scott Opfer, manager of engineering services and operations for the city of Lincoln, and Randy Hoskins, assistant city engineer:

  Since the bike lanes became available in late August 2006, Opfer and Hoskins have received mixed feedback.

  Most negative feedback has come from motorists. Most of the issues raised by motorists concern the loss of a lane of automobile traffic, as well as traffic congestion near parking garages.

  As far as cyclist feedback, most has been positive, Hoskins said. “Most cyclists have been pretty happy with it,” Hoskins said. “They’re glad to have their own space on the street.”

  Because the bike lanes have enhanced downtown Lincoln, Hoskins said he looks forward to the incorporation of more bike trails and lanes. If the bike lanes gain greater acceptance and popularity residents of Lincoln “will see some of those plans continue on,” he said.

  “Hopefully this is like a first step in making the town more bicycle friendly, particularly for students who attend the university,” Hoskins said.

• Engineering The Downhill Bike features an interview with Joel Smith, owner of Tomac Mountain Bikes, a company based in Lincoln that produces high-performance mountain bikes. The article focuses on the development and testing of Tomac’s new downhill racing bike, The Primer 220 DH:

  The Primer 220 “is designed for a very specific and unique application: big jumps, drop offs and generally extremely rough terrain. In fact, the end user is typically riding a chair lift to access the trails, so it’s not your normal Sunday afternoon ride around town bike,” Smith said. Simply put, downhill biking is a race to the bottom of a steep hill. And while skill is a major factor in handling the terrain, the race is a short one – meaning the performance of the bike is extremely important.

The Nebraska Blueprint is a biannual publication produced by students at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln

Residents of Omaha, Kansas City and St. Louis are invited to participate in the Go By Bike Challenge sponsored by Midwest Cycling and Trek Bicycle Corporation. A man and a woman from each city will be selected to receive a free Trek FX bike and cycling accessories, which they can keep if they complete the challenge.

For the Challenge, each of six winners will ride bikes on six short trips (under two miles) per week during the month of May, National Bike Month. Winners will post weekly online entries about the Challenge to share their experience with others in the community. Organizers are hoping to promote lifestyles that integrate bicycle use into daily life. Trips under two miles are targeted since they comprise 50% of car trips in the US.

One World, Two Wheels is a part of Trek’s global commitment to helping the world become a more bicycle-friendly place. With the world facing skyrocketing obesity rates, escalating traffic congestion and the concerns of global climate change, the bicycle is an ideal solution.

The deadline for entries is midnight March 24, 2008. Visit trekbicyclestores.com for more info or to register.

Michael Chamberlain, owner of The Broken Spoke in Iowa City, Iowa, who commutes to work year-round, was recently profiled in his local newspaper, The Gazette:

Why would someone choose pedaling through the winter elements when they could drive?

“Being part of the solution instead of part of the problem is probably the biggest reason,” Chamberlain says of the environmental impact.

Plus, relying on a bike for transportation is cheaper than relying on a car, he says. The last time he pumped gas into his vehicle, it cost him only $1.60 a gallon. That was in November 2003.

“In the winter,” he adds, “it’s pretty much impossible to get stuck on a bike. You just pick it up and move it, and keep on riding. You don’t have to scrape a windshield. It allows me to be on my own schedule.”

There is also a video interview:

Hopefully one day stories such as Michael’s will be far more commonplace, as people begin to realize the advantages of bicycles as basic everyday transportation, regardless of the weather.