Takin' a break

Spoke 'N' Word will be off next week. Even bloggers need a vacation some times. I'll be back for the start of the Tour!

No boys allowed!

Meet the Skirts. Florida's new, all-women's cycling club. Based in Tampa Bay, they came together as friends and fellow riders to cultivate a more female-friendly cycling community and well... ride their bikes!

They're also partnering with CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse)to raise funds and awareness to combat domestic violence. The ladies also know their way around some delicious vegan baked goods.

They're hosting a ladies-only ride on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. starting at 66Fixed. The pace is friendly and casual. Fixed gears are a popular ride but women of all bicycle persuasions are encouraged to attend.

They hope to see you there!

St. Petersburg teen mugged on Pinellas Trail

Crime along the Pinellas Trail is nothing new, but you have to feel for 19-year-old Stephanie Rockfield. She was riding her bike home from the YMCA on 5th St. South when she was stopped by two men, punched in the face and forced to watch as they rode off with her purse. It contained her wallet, keys and only $1.

It's not clear what time of day this occured, but be careful out there on the trail. Because of its isolation and lack of witnesses, it can be a easy spot for muggings to take place. Ride with a friend when you can and never at night.

Visit Tampa Bay's 10 for the full story.

The other side of Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong arrives on the set of the Late Show With David Letterman. AP

There's no debating Lance Armstrong has done a ton of good since retiring from pro cycling. (Some would even argue that in itself was good for the sport.) Since then he's raised awareness and a bajillion dollars for his cancer-fighting foundation, LiveStrong. He opened a bike shop in Texas. He's backed a self-training website. He's dated a lot of young hotties.

Wait, what?

Yes, Lance is perhaps best known these days as a renegade playboy. The New York Times published an article exposing him as such on Sunday (In the Fashion and Style section, no less). There are two Lance Armstrongs these days, it says. One shows up in the pages of Architectural Digest. One in the New York Post.

Which one are you a fan of?

Tampa Bay team finishes RAAM

From left, Brian Wilder, Dr. James D. DeLuca, Bo Webster and Dr. Robert E. Ebert competed in Race Across America as Team Macular Regeneration. The team faced injuries and extreme weather on the 3,000-mile journey.

By Beth N. Gray, Times correspondent
Published Sunday, June 22, 2008 6:56 PM

Two Hernando medical professionals have returned home after competing on a four-man team of cyclists that successfully — but with injurious and scary mishaps — biked 3,000 miles in this month's 27th annual Race Across America.

They are among 250 men and women who mounted their two-wheelers in Oceanside, Calif., on June 11 and headed for the city dock in Annapolis, Md.

Team Macular Regeneration pedaled in at 11:49 p.m. Thursday after eight days and six hours on the road, averaging 15.19 miles per hour. The team consisted of Dr. James D. DeLuca, a dentist from Spring Hill; Dr. Robert E. Ebert, an internal medicine specialist from Spring Hill; Bo Webster, a triathlon coach from Odessa; and Brian Wilder, a certified public accountant in St. Petersburg.

The quartet made their charity the Macular Degeneration Foundation, which is seeking cures for the eye disease. They sent out requests for donations for their rides and also received support after the foundation spread the word about the team's effort.

Although all the donations have not come in, Ebert estimated they raised $3,000.

"We did train, and we were physically able to do the distance," Ebert, 52, said by phone Friday, awaking from a well-earned rest in the Washington, D.C., area.

The team rode in the four-man division in what Ebert described as a rotation relay, a leap frog race in which one rider was required to be on the road at all times. Chase cars fronted and followed them, along with a traveling RV for downtime since no off hours or off days were scheduled.

Mountainous terrain was one of their challenges. "This was a first for our Florida flatlanders," Ebert said.

Only 98 hours into the race, in New Mexico, the recreational vehicle driver grew sleepy and pulled off the highway into what was soft sand. In the ensuing lurch, the resting Wilder cracked two ribs.

Ebert suffered a hairline fracture to his wrist in a fall. The break inhibited his ability to shift gears, he said.

Webster had to be hydrated in New Mexico. Further eastward, he fell on a downhill ride, picking up scrapes and brush burns to his face and shoulders.

They encountered a low-pressure weather system from Kansas to Maryland, hitting them with rain, hail and thunderstorms.

But the ride continued.

"One thing that really kept us together was the support team," Ebert said. The team of 10 included a nurse, massage therapist, mechanics and a bike store owner.

But the riders themselves brought their own physical endurance to the event.

DeLuca is a two-time Ironman triathlon competitor and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ebert has run two triathlons and enjoys mountain biking.

Webster has a long list of athletic accomplishments, having run his first triathlon in 1981, competed in his first Ironman competition in 1987 and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2004.

Wilder has completed more than 100 triathlons and won the Sports Marketing Florida Amateur Master Sprint Tri Series in 1991.

Said Ebert of the Race Across America experience: "What a wonderful country we belong to. You really can't appreciate the grandeur until you bike it — 14 states, the pictures of the Appalachians, the small towns. There's no place like home."

Race results had not been posted as of Sunday. Team Macular Regeneration raced in the age 50-59 category.

By the numbers

• 3,000: Distance, in miles, covered during the 27th annual Race Across America.
• 250: The number of participants in the event.
• 11:49 p.m. The time Thursday when Team Macular Regeneration ended its ride in Annapolis, Md.
• 8 days, 6 hours: The amount of time it took Team Macular Regeneration to complete the 3,000-mile trek.
• 15.19 mph: The average speed by Team Macular Regeneration throughout the ride.
• $3,000: Estimated amount of money the team raised for charity.

In related news, St. Petersburg's John Schlitter completed the ride solo in 11 days, 2 hours and 50 minutes. Congratulations John!

Click for more photos

Pinellas Trail extension popular before official opening

By Mariana Minaya, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The downtown extension of the Pinellas Trail won't officially open until next month, but that hasn't stopped bicyclists from using it.

Take Maurice Haynes, who parked his gas-guzzler pickup after gas prices hit $4 and started riding his beach cruiser to work at the city's water resources department.

He loves using the 2.1-mile extension, which runs from 34th Street to First Avenue S to the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront.

"It's a safe way to travel on your bike because I remember coming up, you had to dodge cars," said Haynes, 28, who lives in Childs Park and rides to his check-in station on Burlington Avenue.

"People need a spot to safely ride their bikes, especially with gas prices," he said. "I think it was perfect timing. It really was."

David Segler's motivation for using the trail is more social than economic.

The 16-year-old teen takes it to visit friends and perform bike tricks along the landscaped medians without having to worry about cars.

"I love it," said Segler, a rising sophomore at Boca Ciega High School who lives in St. Petersburg. "It gives me enough space to go really fast."

The city won't start tracking ridership numbers until the extension officially opens, but on one recent Sunday morning, city transportation and parking director Joseph Kubicki noticed at least 20 people riding the extension.

"We've been kind of monitoring, and it's been getting good use," he said.

Nathalia Estrada, 24, an employee at Local Coffee + Tea on First Avenue S, said she sees about four or five cyclists using the extension in front of the restaurant in the early morning and again at 5 p.m.

And, "I've seen five cars accidentally drive on the trail," she said.

On July 12 there will be a ribbon-cutting for the extension, which cost $6-million, mostly in federal funds.

"All the traffic signs have not been activated, all the crosswalks have not been completed yet," Kubicki said. "It's very close, but not done yet."

This one goes to 11

Campagnolo's new 11-speed Super Record. And to think: I got my first 10-speed shifters just last week.

[Via Roues Artisanales]

Bicycle Bash to be held October 19

Just got the news from organizer Alan Snel. The 2008 edition of the Bicycle Bash By the Bay - the biggest cycling event of the year in Tampa Bay - will be held October 19 at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. The event has been growing by leaps and bounds and Alan predicts twice the turnout of last year's 3,000 visitors for the 2008 edition. To coincide with the festivities, the annual Share the Road Ride will take place that same morning.

The Florida Bicycle Association will also be a partner as the FBA's annual Pro Bike Pro Walk Conference will be in St. Petersburg this year starting October 20.

There will be plenty of room for vendors and a table is $60. Please contact Alan for a vendor to reserve your space early.

See you there!

St. Petersburg's John Schlitter halfway complete with RAAM

Century rides? Ha!!

A reader has alerted me that St. Petersburg's John Schlitter, one of the founders of Bacchetta Bicycles (also based in St. Petersburg) is well on his way in the annual Ride Across America, riding a Bacchetta recumbent, natch. According to RAAM Web site, he's already made his way from Oceanside, Ca., to Marthasville, Mo. That's 1,988 miles, folks. The 3,008-mile race finishes in Annapolis, Md.

You can follow his progress here and here. Stay tuned for more. Great work John!

[Photo courtesy of RAAM]

SWFBUD to host regional transportation plan discussion

SWFBUD (South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers, an alliance of seven Tampa Bay-area bike stores committed to bicycle advocacy) will host the first meeting of its "Pedal Power" public forum series this month. The organization has invited a representative from the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority to discuss the role of bicycles in a regional transportation plan for the Tampa Bay area. 

The forum will be held at 7 p.m. on June 26 at Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium in north Tampa.

Need more motivation to attend? There will be snacks and drinks.

Bike-jacker

Driven to crime

By Mike Luckovich

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bike love, Portland style

People sure love their bikes in Portland. Maybe a little too much... Check out this photo gallery courtesy of BikePortland.org of the start of Pedalpalooza, a two-week party of bike fun featuring more than 200 events, including bike jousting, bike polo and nude bike rides. Oh yeah, this might be the only bike gallery that's NSFW.

World champion Paolo Bettini

I guess when you're a two-time world champion you don't have to pin on your numbers.

Now that is PRO.

[Photo via Cyclingnews.com]

Two accidents: One tragic, one predictable

Tragic: A Brandon cyclist was hit by a passing car after falling into the west bound lane of US92. Florida Highway Patrol says 28-year-old Donnie Sawyer was taken to Brandon Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Predictable: A Lakeland man is in the hospital after falling off a bike being towed by a rope behind a four-wheeler last week. The condition of Anthony Stretton, 18, is not known and the incident is under investigation.

Letter to the Times

Published Wednesday, June 4, 2008 5:40 PM

Bike paths make sense on U.S. 19

I have noticed that they recently put (both sides of U.S. 19) new street lights/lamps, from approximately Hudson through Spring Hill (up to U.S. 50). This is great, but I do not really see the advantage.

With the new JCPenney, the Wal-Mart and other strip malls being built along U.S. 19, why can't someone consider putting bicycle paths along U.S. 19, so people can ride, walk and stroll with their baby carriages, wheel chairs, etc., such as they do on Forrest Oaks Boulevard, and incorporate these paths with THE Bus stops? Many advantages here, such as fuel savings and helping seniors who are unable to drive. Substitute fuel wheels for foot wheels.

With the amount of bicycle traffic fatalities on U.S. 19, and high fuel prices, the time has come to provide residents commuting options.

As we all know, it will cost. To make a win-win, zoning and building permits regulators can mandate that bike paths must be included in retail and commercial building plans, just as they must for parking lots. The cost would be picked up by the developers, which would be minimal because they already have their earth-moving equipment and materials on site. Bike paths would provide people without vehicles access to stores, which would increase retail sales, and promote commuting to work.

Just a thought. A prime example is the Suncoast Parkway Trail.

Dennis Guido, Spring Hill

A sad story and a sad viewpoint

The death of 17-year-old Justin White was an accident and a tragedy, but to hear his mother tell the story, the bicycle was to blame. I can't imagine why someone would feel so strongly against bicycles, but it's sad knowing that nothing will ever convince this woman that bicycles are not unsafe.

Boy's bike death puzzles mother

By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer

MASARYKTOWN — Though only recently turned 17, Justin White had plenty of riding experience with horses. But not bicycles.

As a dutiful, outdoors-loving teen, White eagerly tended to the horses around his family's 27-acre farm in Masaryktown and often taught younger children how to ride on them.

However, his mother was wary of her son riding on bikes and forbade Justin from having one.

"He hadn't owned a bicycle since he was 4 years old," Sue White said Monday. "He was not allowed to ride a bicycle — I never gave him permission for that."

White still doesn't know why Justin was biking Saturday, when he became the first of two teenage boys riding bicycles who were struck by vehicles and killed in separate accidents that night. The accidents happened about an hour apart on narrow two-lane roads, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Justin White, a junior at Hernando High, was killed in the first collision about 9 p.m. on Cedar Lane, north of State Road 50. He was struck by a 1998 Ford pickup while riding north on Cedar Lane. Timothy D. Price, 45, of Brooksville was passing another car when he hit the teen, according to the FHP.

The other accident came about 10 p.m. on Powell Road.

Scott Avery, a 17-year-old junior at Nature Coast Technical High, died in that accident.

Avery was riding east on Powell Road when his bicycle was struck from behind by a two-door 1997 Saturn. The driver of the Saturn fled the scene but was identified by the FHP as Leo Salvato, 36, of Spring Hill.

Salvato was found later and will face charges, according to the FHP. Salvato has numerous infractions on his Florida driving record, and he was labeled a habitual traffic offender in June 2003.

On Monday, with only a few days left in the school year, family members, friends and school officials tried to come to grips with the losses of White and Avery. News of the fatal accidents quickly made the rounds over the weekend, and hundreds of people hastily gathered at Nature Coast's football field Sunday night for a candlelight vigil for Avery.

"It was overwhelming the number of people that were out there," said Jamie Joyner, head football coach at Nature Coast. "It was definitely comforting to see (Avery's) family and friends have that opportunity to see how much he was appreciated within the school."

Meanwhile, Sue White fondly remembered a boy who aspired to someday join the Army and then become a cowboy — anything that would keep him outside. Only days earlier, Justin had celebrated his 17th birthday with a large cake, a festive dinner at an Italian restaurant and, most importantly, a brand new cowboy hat.

"He already thought he was a cowboy," she said of Justin, who was the youngest of five siblings. "He worked on the farm a lot and was a home kind of kid. He liked to be busy."

Still, Sue White remains upset that someone — she's still unsure who it was — loaned him a bike to ride home that Saturday evening.

She had prepared to pick him up at a nearby gas station when she learned he had taken off into the night.

"I was very upset that someone would put him on a bike," she said. "I never let him have bicycles because I worried that something like this might happen."

Gas? What gas?

Click for full size.

By Robert Ariail, The State, Columbia, S.C. (June 5, 2008)

Click for full size.

By Jim Borgman, The Enquirer, Cincinnati. (May 12, 2008)

[via Urban Velo]

Practical, handmade velo fashion

 

[via BikeHugger]

Greg Lemond loves tacos!

Bet he can pick them up fast.

Messenger bags for dogs

Take Fido for a ride!

[via Hong Kong Fixed Gear]

Bike shops succeeding in tough economy

By Dominick Tao/Times staff writer

Revolution Bicycles in St. Petersburg has seen a 15 percent increase in bike sales in recent months, mostly from people gone pale at the price of gas, said Greg Hodges, the store's assistant manager.

"We're seeing a large percent increase of people looking to repair old bikes, buy new bikes or just look for an alternate means of transportation," Hodges said. "Bike prices have gone up a little bit, but riding a bike is still cheaper than driving."

Other businesses doing well:

• Used auto parts
• Pawn brokers
• Recycling centers
• Community colleges
• Video games

Read the full report here.

This photo will give you nightmares

At least two people were killed Sunday morning when Jesse Lopez, 29, drove a 1989 Gran Marquis into a group of cyclists racing the Bike Tour Matamoros-Playa Bagdad in Mexico. One of the two men killed was  Alejandro Alvarez, 34, of Brownsville, Texas. The other name was not released. Lopez was driving drunk and under the influence of drugs, Matamoros newspapers reported in their Monday editions. Read the full story at the Brownsville Herald.

UPDATE: Here's the full story from the Associated Press.

(AP) -- A car plowed into a weekend bike race along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others, police said.

The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race, said police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez.

A photograph taken by a city official showed bicyclists and equipment being hurled high into the air by the collision.

Rodriguez said Juan Campos was charged with killing Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey.

Authorities said the wreck happened 15 minutes into the 34-kilometer (21 mile) race Sunday along a highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

Campos said he is an American citizen living in Brownsville. The U.S. Consulate could not immediately confirm that.

"We are looking into the incident in terms of whether American citizens were involved," consulate spokesman Todd Huizinga said.

 

[Photo is a still from video via AP]

Pinellas Trail on the Today Show

The Today Show ran a piece this morning about how prices at the pumps are pushing pedal power. Their first example: commuting via the Pinellas Trail.

[via Bike Pittsburgh]

Eddy Merckx: 49.431km

In 1972 Eddy Merckx flew to Mexico City to attempt one of the most challenging monuments in sport: the hour record.

Before the advent of advanced carbon materials, disc wheels and lightweight components, the hour record stood as the ultimate measure of man-powered machine. But it was still a high-tech wonder for its day: Specially designed and built by Colnago for the event, it featured drilled out handlebars and chain and Colnago even tried to get helium gas for the tires. Colnago had to track down an American in Detroit who could weld the titanium stem, one of the material's first appearances on a bicycle. In all, the bike is said to have weighed 5.5kg (12.13 pounds).

The effort was unimaginable. Merckx described it as the most challenging of his entire career. Ernesto Colnago himself was there that day and told Cyclingnews what he saw:

CN: ...After he finished his hour record...   he looks destroyed; what did he say to you after he finished?

EC: Eddy leaned on my shoulder and said "basta (enough)... that's the last   time I'll ever do the hour record. The pain was incredible..." But then he   felt better and shook my hand and said 'thank you' and that meant everything   to me. As I understood it, Merckx never suffered more than during that hour.   He couldn't get out of the saddle or slow his pedalling under 100 revs a minute.  

The day's effort has only been topped twice by traditional bicycles as recognized by the UCI. In 36 years the distanced traveled in one hour has grown only 269 meters.   

Two Hernando teens killed in separate bike accidents

By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer

BROOKSVILLE - Two teenage boys riding bicycles were struck by vehicles and killed in separate accidents Saturday night.

The accidents happened about an hour apart, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The first one happened at about 9 p.m. on Cedar Lanenorth of State Road 50 and the other one came at about 10 p.m. on Powell Road.

In the second, Scott Avery, 17, of Brooksville, was riding eastbound on Powell Road when his bicycle was struck from behind by a two-door 1997 Saturn vehicle. The driver of the Saturn fled the scene but was later identified by the FHP as Leo Salvato, 36, of Spring Hill.

Salvato was later captured and will face charges, FHP spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said today.

In the first collision, Justin White, 17, address unkown, was struck by a 1998 Ford pickup truck while riding north on Cedar Lane. Timothy D. Price, 45, of Brooksville, was passing another car when he hit the teen, according to the FHP.

White's bike had no lights, Gaskins said. The teen was taken to Brooksville Regional Hospital where he later died.

By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer

BROOKSVILLE - Two teenage boys riding bicycles were struck by vehicles and killed in separate accidents Saturday night.

The accidents happened about an hour apart, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The first one happened at about 9 p.m. on Cedar Lanenorth of State Road 50 and the other one came at about 10 p.m. on Powell Road.

In the second, Scott Avery, 17, of Brooksville, was riding eastbound on Powell Road when his bicycle was struck from behind by a two-door 1997 Saturn vehicle. The driver of the Saturn fled the scene but was later identified by the FHP as Leo Salvato, 36, of Spring Hill.

Salvato was later captured and will face charges, FHP spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said today.

In the first collision, Justin White, 17, address unkown, was struck by a 1998 Ford pickup truck while riding north on Cedar Lane. Timothy D. Price, 45, of Brooksville, was passing another car when he hit the teen, according to the FHP.

White's bike had no lights, Gaskins said. The teen was taken to Brooksville Regional Hospital where he later died.