Kansas Cyclist - Kansas Bicycle Guide and Reference

Randy Van Zee of Sheldon, Iowa was killed on Friday, April 4, 2008 when struck from behind by a car on a county road near Sheldon.

The driver was 21-year old Sarah Johnson of Archer, Iowa, who was cited for not having insurance and for failing to stop in a safe distance. The collision is still under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol.

In 2004, Van Zee participated as a solo cyclist in the Race Across America (RAAM), riding 2,958 miles from San Diego to the New Jersey coast in 11 days, 16 hours and 26 minutes. After crashing his bike in Ohio, Randy rode the rest of the route with a broken pelvis. He became only the 169th person to finish solo RAAM.

In 2007, Randy won the Gut Check 212, a 435-mile bike ride across South Dakota, one of only three riders to complete the ride, finishing in 36 hours and 45 minutes.

Randy Van Zee, 56, is survived by his wife, his mother, three children and six grandchildren. His funeral is Tuesday in Sheldon.

Read more: Obituary, Des Moines Register, KTIV-TV, Sioux City Journal, , UltraRob’s Adventures, Velonews

Warning: The comments on the Des Moines Register article are not for the faint of heart - just amazingly callous and mean-spirited.

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

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.

Cedar Falls, Iowa is looking at ways to enhance bicycling as transportation and to make the city more friendly to bicycle commuters.

Bob Morgan, a member of the committee studying the proposal, said that use of bicycles as practical transportation could grow. “Bicycling can do more for the city. It can reduce traffic. Bicycles don’t send noxious fumes into the air, they doesn’t pollute.”

The committee has asked the City Council to look at a comprehensive plan for bicycle transportation, including things such as bike lanes on new or reconstructed roads. It also asked the council to look at pilot projects to start this year and to plan for long-term adaptations to make streets more hospitable as bikeways.

Bike corridors would include more places to park bicycles, designated bicycle routes, bike lanes and separated facilities. In addition, an important part of a plan would be to educate cyclists and drivers to safely coexist. Statistics show commuting by bicycle is safer than by car, but that is not the perception.

In addition, the committee hopes that Cedar Falls can incorporate on-street bike facilities on the roads connecting Cedar Falls to nearby Waterloo, making bicycle transportation a practical alternative for commuters between the two communities.

Source: WCFCourier.com

William Petroski of the Des Moines Register has a nice article profiling some winter bicycle commuters in Des Moines (Cold doesn’t deter tough cyclists):

Gary Hlavka, a civil engineer for the city of Des Moines uses a mountain bike with studded tires when his commute requires maneuvering through snow. He rides a recumbent bicycle after the streets are cleared.

Chris Guevara, who lives on Des Moines’ south side, is also a regular winter bicyclist, riding downtown daily to his job at Principal Financial Group.

Ernie Fisher of West Des Moines has been riding his bicycle to work daily, year-round, for 42 years. Most of those years involved a 17-mile round trip when he taught at Monroe Elementary School in Des Moines. Now it’s back-and-forth jaunts totaling about five miles to his post-retirement job as a West Des Moines school bus driver.

Petroski reports that, although there are no official statistics, estimates are that perhaps a few dozen ride in Des Moines, and that winter bicycling is gaining serious momentum in other Midwest cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis, and Madison, Wisconsin.

Here in Kansas, we have Dave, Jack, Keith, Noah, and Warren writing about their commuting experiences, and surely many other who don’t have their own blogs. Anyone else care to share?