Author: bbcbike

By Jim Schroeder

Bloomington will again be on the Race Across America route in 2009, hosting RAAM Time Station Number 38.  Over 300 participants in various categories will be converging on Bloomington between Tuesday June 23 and Saturday June 27. There will also be more than 500 crew members searching for services, food, drink, rest, gadgets, trinkets, and just some good ol’ Hoosier hospitality! At least 20 countries throughout the world will be represented, and categories include men and women from solo to 8 man team.

Bloomington, by the way, is the largest city that the route goes through, and we purposely have our time station in front of CVS and O’Malia’s, on College Mall Road, so that every service is available to the RAAM teams.
Our aim is to operate this tent 24/7 or whenever there are riders coming through.  We are there to provide information and proper assistance when needed.  Hopefully, we’ll have two tailgate tents, a tent for sleeping, race tally board, wi-fi laptop, refreshments, and some rowdy RAAM fans.

Please e-mail Jim Schroeder at jimmyschweb@gmail.com and let him know when you can help run the station.  This is a good way to pay back the sport that keeps you healthy in more ways than one.  Plus, have some fun and learn some things along the way.

Everyone can follow the race at www.raceacrossamerica.org.

By Allan Edmonds

Tuesday 15 or so riders did “Long Russell” under the able leadership of Shelley Bradfield and Kathy Cummins. Out 46 to sail down and along Kerr Creek, up Mr. Gilead to 45, loop around Russell Road, with a last reconnoiter at Unversity School. Check the map. (Opens in new window.) One of the great things about having two leaders is that one can lead at the front while the other one watches at the rear for anyone struggling or having mechanical problems.

On Thursday some 17 OWLS did a familiar ride backwards, counterclockwise to Harrodsburg. Down Victor, Old 37, under 37, Strain Ridge toward home. See the map. (Opens in new window.) CE Taylor did his usual excellent job planning route, getting us organized, and shepherding the whole group along the road. We had a couple of new riders, which is usual for us. I think they were both a bit surprised at how fast we ended up going. But they did fine.
As might be expected some OWLS are getting faster as the season progresses. About half of us sailed along in a pace line once we got onto Old 37. There was a constant threat of rain, but not much more than that.

Some OWLS apparently thought they needed more than simple pedal power. (Click for larger image.)

Gathering for our last regroup for everyone at Ketcham Run Around. (Click for larger image.)

Finally on Saturday OWLS were part of the large group at Bryan Park for the regular club ride heading to Nashville, not the Hilly Hundred route because of the poor condition of Lanham Ridge. Rather we headed all the way out to Bean Blossom up and over Bear Wallow Hill and into Nashville. There were at least three groups, one breaking out to do a century ride led by Jim Schroeder. Another group did the main route pretty quickly, leaving promptly from the first meeting spot at Bean Blossom store. Finally a smaller group of 7 or 8 continued with the planned route and five of us even had a leisurely lunch in Nashville at the pizza shop on the route, as recommended by leader Mark Napier. In addition to Mark our lunch group included Joe Anderson, Ron Brown, Dan Fowler, and Allan Edmonds.

At Bryan Park before we left, Joe noticed that his left crank arm was loose after a bottom bracket replacement earlier in the week. Fortunately Mark had the necessary extra large Allen wrench in his multi-tool. Unfortunately it didn’t have enough of a handle to get enough leverage on it to permanently solve the problem. But three re-tightenings was enough to finish the trip successfuly. Joe headed straight to the bike shop as we got back to town about 2 pm.

Although the weather report called for afternoon rain, the weather was actually excellent. Our slowest group averaged about 15.0 mph for the entire 55 mile route.

By Allan Edmonds

It was a first-rate end to a first-rate week. Some 38 riders gathered for the scheduled club ride at 9 am at Bryan Park. Well, actually, only about 17 or so were planning to do the scheduled route. The others were split between doing the longer M and M ride of about 60 miles and an alternative of about the same length that went west from Martinsville.

We wound our way through the rebuilding work on the road through Cascades Park. Cars can’t get through. But bikes could make without even dismounting. Apparently the tree that came down during a big storm this spring severely damaged the retaining wall and underneath support for the road. There is no end in sight for the work.

All three groups gathered at the entrance to the Morgan-Monroe State Forest at about mile 14, before splitting up. I was able to get a couple of pictures that I had to stitch together in order to see everyone. I count 36 heads in the picture, plus a couple that didn’t get into it. Can you spot the seam? Click on the photos to see larger versions!

Pretty soon Joe Anderson led out the group doing the Forest ride and we left the others to their own devices. We headed down to the Lookout Tower, where we took a group picture that was able to capture everyone in a single frame.

From there we descended Bean Blossom Hill down to Anderson, then on to Old 37, and back the way we came. Three of our group split off to climb Boltinghouse Hill. (These are OWLS? Don’t they know what W means?)

By and by we got back to the park close to noon. Somewhat unusual for us, we had a good-sized group finishing together. (The slowest of us averaged about 14.5mph.) So we took one more picture to document the 10 plus photographer who came in together.

Just a few minutes later two of the three who did Boltinghouse Hill arrived as well.

The weather was great. The record-sized group fantastic. Let’s keep it up.

Just pure luck.

Just pure luck.

Very cool camera work, CE!

Keith V.

May 19 and 21, 2009

By Allan Edmonds

Shelley Bradfield was on tap to lead our Tuesday ride down 446 to Shawnee Bluffs and back. We have been working with the idea of trying to make the Tuesday ride a little shorter and have a little less climbing, with the intention of making the Tuesday ride the best place for a new person to get his or her feet (pedals?) wet. Also we have a couple of OWLS who like to ride tandems with a kid on the back, and some of our longer or steeper routes make it difficult for them to keep up with the extra load. Shelley, being extra responsible, decided to take a run down 446 on Monday just to check things out. That’s when she discovered the Chip and Seal operation in full swing. CE and I exchanged messages by email and we put out a notice that we were changing our Tuesday route. After that all hell broke loose on the BBC listserv over the Chip and Seal work. I hope our club can get together with IBC and CIBA and keep the pressure on the state over this.

In any case about a dozen of us had a very pleasant 23 mile ride on what we are calling our Short Airport ride, following a loop along the south side of the Monroe County Airport. Here’s a little map of the route.

As usual with these evening rides, the trip out of town is more unpleasant with all the “rush hour” traffic. But by 7 pm or so things have settled down quite nices.

For Thursday CE Taylor planned and led a longer and hillier ride that we call the Shuffle Creek Ride, with three serious climbs: Out on (1) Mt. Gilead, then a long, smooth, down hill on Shuffle Creek to Lake Lemon, up (2) South Shore Drive, and then back the way we went out on (3) Mt. Gilead.

We had a real good turn out of 20 riders.

Greg Alexander was along on his recumbent and did quite well on the hills.

On the way back along Tunnel Road, CE pulled out his cell phone and took an amazing picture of our group, holding the phone/camera backwards over his shoulder. Don’t you agree?

The only negative was when Brad Schroeder got a pinch flat when he hit a crater-sized hole on Tunnel. I was right behind him and if he hadn’t hit it, I surely would have. Most of our group was already on its way toward home, but several of us stopped while his tube was replaced. Tom Whitehead in particular lent a helping hand and we were soon on our way again.

Dave Lawler and I had fun pushing the pace on the last stretch of 45 back into town. We got a little bit ahead, but by the time we got to Third Street everyone had caught up again. At Third Street three of our group were almost taken out by a car that decided at the last second to make a quick right turn. You cannot afford to let down your guard for second, even when the ride is almost over.

By Keith Vogelsang

Several emails sent out to the club this past week highlighted the work being done to correct a long-standing and dangerous road condition. Club members new and old may not be aware of the work that has taken place behind the scenes by Ron Brown and former Advocacy Chair Bill Hayden, so I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge their hard work and provide a bit of history behind the effort.

A few years ago, Bill Hayden and Ron Brown thought it would be a good idea to map the location of all the dangerous storm water inlet grates around Bloomington and beyond. Ron’s effort is posted on the BBC website (http://bloomingtonbicycleclub.org/grates/index.html), and he provides regular updates as new hazards are discovered and old hazards are corrected. Here’s a picture of one version of a dangerous grate along Clarizz Boulevard that we expect will be corrected soon:

Ron has persevered in bringing the issue to the attention of any public official who will listen, and his efforts are now paying off, as indicated by recent email messages shared with the BBC list. The City of Bloomington Utilities Department has started replacing dangerous grates. Riders may have noticed upgraded “cycle-safe” storm water inlets along Kinser Pike and one replacement has been made along Clarizz Boulevard near Bloomingfoods. Here’s a picture of the new cycle-safe grate along Clarizz:

According to City Council Member Tim Mayer, the use of cycle-safe grates is now a matter of city policy anytime new construction is approved or road repairs are undertaken. The number of city officials who have responded to Ron’s activism and helped move this issue forward is impressive. These include Mayor Mark Kruzan, Council members Susan Sandberg, Tim Mayer, and Andy Ruff—my thanks to all of them. Special thanks to Utilities Engineers Jane Fleig and Mike Bengtson, and of course, Ron Brown and Bill Hayden, for helping to improve Bloomington’s bicycle infrastructure.

By Keith Vogelsang

Saturday, May 2, 2009

The weather forecast going into the weekend for the ride to Cedar Bluff
Nature Preserve looked gloomy. Rain storms throughout the week kept
most of us off our bikes, and more rain was imminent, according to the
latest forecasts. But as quickly as storms form, they can also break
up, and we were greeted Saturday morning with clear skies, calm winds,
and cool temperatures. Nineteen riders gathered at Bryan Park, and our
wheels were rolling just after 10:00.

By the time we crossed Highway 37 to get out of town, we were down to
18 riders, as Glenn Berger developed a flat. Neither Glenn nor anyone
else had a spare tube compatible with his particular tire and rim
combination, so he phoned home for a ride while the rest of us
continued on.

We made our way toward Ketcham Road, where we were expecting to
encounter a dog or two. And we did. Fortunately, we had Stacy Felton on
the ride with us, and she schooled us in the finer techniques of dog
management. The dogs also appeared to learn important lessons, as
evidenced by their confused expressions. Other notable wildlife sitings
include a pileated woodpecker that flew across my path shortly after
turning onto Ketcham, and there was a second hand report that Stan
Ellis saw a squirrel, although as of this writing, that has not been
confirmed.

We regrouped at the entrance to Cedar Bluff Nature Preserve, where
about half a dozen excited dogs had brought their humans for a hike.
Klaus Rothe used the opportunity to take more pictures and also made a
digital recording of Stacy demonstrating her high-decibel dog control
methods. Look for a link to this recording to appear on the new BBC
website (coming soon!).

At this point, about half the riders had decided to extend their route
by about 10 miles. The group split in half at the intersection of
Popcorn and Ketcham. The “extra miles” group headed west on Popcorn and
then planned to make their way back toward Judah. Those of us staying
on the scheduled route headed toward Harrodsburg, and made our way back
toward town on Old 37. The long climb north on Old 37 spread us out
considerably, but all of us eventually made our way home. All told, a
great day and an enjoyable ride. Special thanks to Klaus Rothe for his
artistic photo contributions.

By Allan Edmonds

April 18, 2009

Jim Schroeder led a large group of riders on the ride known at National Geographic’s 63rd best bike ride in the country.

He advertised the ride to the club as follows:

“Would you believe that one of our club rides is in the “National Geographic”?

“No baboons on bicycles or restless natives with spears, but what I’m talking about is the Popcorn Ride. It was listed by the Geographic as number 63 in “Best Adventures in America” In the April 2000 issue.

“Springville is the major destination on this 46 mile route with a short cut of 30 miles.

“There are many idyllic views of the rolling countryside as we’re on top of a few ridges. The climbs up to those ridges are well worth it!

“The ride starts promptly at 10am on Saturday April 18.

“Hmmmm, popcorn flavored power bars…?

“I’ve done more investigating of this “forgotten” area, and have come up with more miles if any rider is up to that.

“One route (Popcorn Plus Butter) loops back into Springville and out a different road and is 57 miles long.

“And if any of you centurions are up to the creme de la creme (butter de la butter), I have a 94 mi route, the Hills Are a Poppin’ Corn.”

The group was quite sight as our long column of riders headed out of town on South Rogers Street. We got separated at the various lights. Everyone waited, however, on Old 37 after crossing New 37, along the stretch of road that the BBC has adopted from the county in exchange for quarterly cleanups.

The large group led to several smaller subgroups forming. Keith Vogelsang showed up on his tandem with his son on back a little late and struggled to catch up through town, inevitably getting caught by a traffic light. When they finally did catch up on Old 37, they decided to take an alternative shorter ride for the day. Keith reported later, “We ended up detouring to Cedar Bluff to climb on rocks, dip our toes in the creek, check out wild flowers, and skip rocks. On our way back toward town, we encountered part of the group again, including Jim. All in all, we had great ride, but I could have used a few more warm up miles before breaking into a sprint!”

Meanwhile Allan Edmonds and Mike Conway were bringing up the rear, keeping an eye out for Keith, just in case.

The main regrouping spot is the convenience store in Springville at about mile 20. The trailers were just getting there as the main group was ready to set out again. Then Kevin Hayes showed up by himself. He had gotten off 30 or 40 minutes after the main club group and had been racing to catch up. He rested a brief minute or two and then took off to catch the main group.

Since Allan and Mike were cruising along by themselves they stopped to take a picture including the Popcorn Church.

On the way back, at Tramway and Victor, Allan and Mike spotted a cyclist off the road (Josh from St. Louis), sitting on the ground. He was just visiting and had decided to try a BBC ride. He had bonked, having run out of food and water. Mike gave him a Luna Bar and we gave him most of our liquids, with home only 5-6 miles away at that point. He perked up pretty well, and the three of us finished up the ride together.

Meanwhile part of the main group had embarked on various long options described by the ride leader. They apparently got separated and took a variety of routes. Afterward, Joe Anderson reported, “You guys never did catch me. I got home at 5:30 with an odometer that said 85 miles and really appreciated the ten mile short cut I took to Hobbieville. Sorry about my advice that 1250 into Owensburg was basically hilly with more downs than ups. I was really wrong about that one. Jim Schroeder is a hill monger. He should be requiredto put on one of those summo wrestler fat suits and try to ride his route.”

On his way back into town, with the main group, ride leader Jim Schroeder reported that he “stopped at the Sunoco and came upon a newbie that moved back to Bloomington. That was his first BBC ride, and I talked up all the different rides that we offer.”

Meanwhile Stan Ellis reported back for the long group, “Your “Hills Are a Poppin’ Corn” 94 mile route is a keeper. The only change I would make is add 2 more ‘verys’ to the ‘Very difficult’ category. Thanks!”

As you can see many people did this ride in many different ways. In circumstances like this it is simply impossible for a single ride leader to keep track of everyone by himself. It is absolutely crucial that we all pay attention to those around us and not let anyone disappear off the back without being sure he or she is okay.