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Well, even though his controversial Astana team has been excluded from this year's Tour de France, American pro rider Chris Horner isn't slowing down. At the Cascade Classic stage race in Oregon, Horner's duties helping team leader Levi Leipheimer were done for the day in Stage 5, so when he spotted a fellow rider with a mechanical problem, he figured he give him a lift. Uphill!
See photographer Heidi Swift's photos overat The Everyday Athlete.
Don't tell me you've never thought about it. What would you do if you ever won a race? Raise your arms to the sky? Strike a pose? Maybe you've been fortunate enough to win. What was your celebration like?
Take a look back at some of your choices, from the regal to the absurd, should the need to use one ever arise.
[via Cozy Beehive]
The Florida Bicycle Association has a new site and blog at Floridabicycle.org.
It features a lot of great resources for all types of cyclists, including how to get involved in advocacy, bicycle traffic laws, legal resources and events calendars.
Check it out!
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.
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?
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
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
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]
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.
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
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."
By Robert Ariail, The State, Columbia, S.C. (June 5, 2008)
By Jim Borgman, The Enquirer, Cincinnati. (May 12, 2008)
[via Urban Velo]
Bet he can pick them up fast.
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]
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]
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.
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.
For many homeless, a bicycle is more than just a source of recreation. It is an essential piece of transportation. Creative Loafing has a great piece this week about how some are taking the initiative to fix and rebuild bicycles for other homeless persons. The St. Petersburg Free Clinic has even donated space in their building to house a makeshift bike shop. It's great to see people helping those in need, empowering each other with the freedom of two wheels.
Brent Bruns and Andrew Blikken have an ambitious plan: inspired by free-bike programs in Europe, they want to flood downtown St. Petersburg with 8,000 bright green bicycles for the public to use for free. The program, BikeGreen, is funded by $.25 Altoid machines scattered around town as well as from donations.
Sound familiar? It's been done in Tampa Bay before. The Tampa Downtown partnership put 50 orange bikes on the street in 1997 and they vanished within a week. Eckerd College has a similar program with their yellow bikes on campus. Most ended up destroyed, abandoned or locked away behind a fence, though the bikes seem to be enjoying more success lately. Bruns says he realizes many of the bikes will disappear quickly: he's planning on losing 1,000 per month. The thought is that by providing so many bikes, the demand will simply overwhelm the desire to steal them.
What's not clear is where these bikes are going to come from and how they will be maintained. Donated bikes spray-painted green and maintained by volunteers will be of marginal operational quality at best. Trying to turn people on to cycling as a practical means of transportation is not likely to be accomplished by broken bicycles. Paid bike rental programs like Velib in Paris are still the most rational business model to make a program like this succeed.
I'll keep you posted on the future of BikeGreen and I wish it the best of luck, but it seems the program has a long way to go.
The Florida DOT held the first of two public forums to discuss the proposed multi-use trail across the Courtney Campbell Causeway tonight in Tampa. If this plan goes ahead, there will be major improvement for cyclists and others to cross the bay from north Pinellas to Tampa. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 22 in Clearwater.
It will extend from the area near the proposed Bayshore Trail extension in Pinellas County (Bayshore Boulevard at SR 60) to the eastern end point at the sidewalk/multi-use path currently under construction as a part of the Tampa Airport Interchange project in Hillsborough County.
The public meeting will be held:
Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Clearwater Christian College, Bldg. D
3400 Gulf to Bay Boulevard
Clearwater, Florida
For more information, you can download the proposal .pdf document here.
[Via Tampa Bay's 10]
Sometimes sandwiches:
Sometimes ice cream:
And sometimes it's fine dining:
Friday was Bike To Work Day across the land. Did you ride in?
There were two great pieces in the St. Petersburg Times that day about bicycle commuting.
Eric Smithers examined the sorry state of bicycle resources in Tampa during his commute from New Tampa to downtown:
More than once, I thought I would get forced off Rowlett Park Drive. There was a general disregard for the 3-foot buffer law that's supposed to separate cyclists and drivers, and traffic was far too fast for my liking. It amazed me how many people either didn't know or didn't care that I had a right to be on that road. The Share the Road signs must only be visible by bicycle.
Columnist Dan Dewitt says things aren't much better in the suburbs:
A few years ago, the Tampa Bay area was named the second-most dangerous place in the nation to walk or ride a bike. Though riding in Hernando is less hazardous than in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties, four cyclists died on our roads and 99 were injured between 2002 and 2006. Sixteen riders died in Pasco.
Just so it's not all bad news, Fox13 had a great piece about how one side of the bay is getting things right. St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker joined a group of bike commuters to participate in Bike To Work Day and highlight his Green City program.
[Photo by Kathleen Flynn/St. Petersburg Times]
David Millar of Team Slipstream - the argyle one, Millar is in white because he is the British road race champion - broke his chain during the sprint in Stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia on Wednesday. He probably would have won the stage, too. Once he managed to stop in one piece and alive, it didn't take long for him to take out his frustration on the very thing that caused it.
Check out what he said about the incident on the team blog:
I was so raging and so focused that all the energy I had for winning the race was taken out on my bike. I’m not that person, I don’t see red. But I think it’s quite funny I did that. I’ve yet to see the footage…
Naturally, we've got it:
That's a $10,000 bike going airborne folks.
UPDATE: Seems Millar wasn't the first. This is Bjarne Riis tossing his bike in the '97 Tour:
According to Bicycling Magazine's opinion, South Florida should be a perfect place to ride, but instead, it's a nightmare.
"We're so far behind and in the dark with bikes it's absurd," bike-shop owner Chris Marshall told the Miami New Times in January. "I'd say we're stuck in the '60s, but it's worse than the '60s. In the '60s you could still get around by bike."
The other two cities mentioned? Dallas and Memphis.
I wonder how Tampa Bay would fare. I think the walkable nature of downtown St. Petersburg is very bike friendly, but that's probably offset by the sprawling sections of north Tampa and Brandon. Where do you think is the best/worse place to ride 'round these parts?
You can't mention bike commuting these days without talking about the rising cost of gas. Tampa Bay's 10 featured both in this short video report. Naturally it appears during Bike To Work Week.
[via Alan Snel's Bike Stories]
Google Street View spotted this kid in Cleveland falling of his bike. Scroll down the street to see it happen. Ouch!
[via Neatorama]
Well folks, it's here. National Bike Month. Every May the League of American Bicyclists organizes events, promotions and programs that celebrate cycling.
Tampa BayCycle is doing its part with the second annual Commuter Challenge. Each day during Bike To Work Week (May 10-16), participants log their miles on the Web site and earn prizes. First place? A Minewt Niterider Bicycle Light, Valued at $189.
Stay tuned for many more cool events and contests during Bike Month.
The New York Times profiled former 17-year baseball veteran Jeff Conine and his retirement plans: racing the Ironman world championships in Hawaii. Turns out Conine, who lives in Weston, will be riding his Cervelo P3C (and running and swimming) in Sunday's St. Anthony's Triathlon here in St. Petersburg.
Conine says he has no plans to pursue the pro triathlon circuit, though he continues to wear the footwear and sunglasses of companies he endorsed as a baseball player. He will have plenty of reminders of his former career Sunday when the bike course takes him past Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The transition area is adjacent to a hotel where he stayed as a player. [The Vinoy. - ed.]
“I keep telling myself I’m not looking to set the world on fire; I just want to finish,” Conine said. “But I’m sure once it starts, the competitive juices will be flowing.”
Anyone else out there racing in St. Anthony's?
[Image via the New York Times]
Having crashed and lost some skin myself this past weekend, I bring you this montage of the great Eddy Merckx crashing as a reminder that it happens to the best of us.
P.S. Watch this with the sound off because it's filled with weird, creepy background sounds.
[via Ride Lugged]
Tampa BayCycle is promoting several endeavors for National Bike Month during May:
Thursday, May 1
Proclamation Bicycle Relay
Temple Terrace, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater
A team of bicyclists will carry a proclamation to each location to spread the word that May is National Bike Month.
Thursday, May 1, 5 - 7 p.m.
Opening Reception: “Visions of Cycling”
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
200 N. Tampa St., downtown Tampa
May 10-16, 2008
Commuter Challenge
Log your miles during May and win prizes
www.TampaBayCycle.com
Friday, May 16
National Bike to Work Day
| Top 5 streets for pedestrian accidents in 2007 | |
| Street | No. of injuries |
| Nebraska Avenue.......................................... | 11 (2 fatal) |
| Hillsborough Avenue...................................... | 11 (2 fatal) |
| Florida Avenue............................................. | 7 |
| Kennedy Boulevard......................................... | 5 |
| Boulevard Street............................................ | 5 |
Top 5 streets for accidents involving bikes in 2007 |
|
| Street | Number of injuries |
| Hillsborough Avenue....................................... | 8 |
| Fowler Avenue............................................... | 7 (1 fatal) |
| 40th Street................................................... | 5 |
| Florida Avenue.............................................. | 4 (1 fatal) |
| Waters Avenue.............................................. | 4 |
By
Emily Nipps, Times Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Jeannette King Flom has used a bicycle as her main mode of transport for 22 years.
Navigating the streets of South Tampa with her Shih Tzu in the bike's basket always felt fairly safe, though in the past five years she has noticed some scary trends.
Text-messaging at the wheel. Traffic jams. Drivers trying to beat lights and cut through side streets.
This year, her fears were realized: Flom was struck by a woman in an SUV as she crossed Empedrado Street at MacDill Avenue.
It may be a sign of the times. As Tampa grows, city planners, transportation officials and police are constantly analyzing safety when there are more "cars co-mingling with bikes co-mingling with pedestrians," said police Maj. John Bennett, who oversees traffic enforcement downtown and in surrounding areas.
Last year, 10 pedestrians and three bicyclists were struck and killed on city streets. Another 204 were injured. In most of the cases, Bennett said, the walker or cyclist might have prevented the accident by following the rules of the road or using crosswalks.
"You're never going to win against a car," he said. "Sometimes it doesn't matter if you're right or wrong."
While it appears that there are more opportunities for cars and people to collide in dense areas like downtown, accidents are actually more likely to happen in places where there is more distance between crosswalks, such as on Nebraska and Hillsborough avenues. People often take their chances and dart across the street on foot or bike despite oncoming traffic, Bennett said.
Still, downtown has its dangers, and the Tampa Downtown Partnership often works with the city to identify ways to make the grid system more walkable.
"The sidewalks we have are prolific, but there's often a lot of stuff packed onto a narrow sidewalk, like utility boxes and trees," said Karen Kress, the partnership's transportation director.
"And it doesn't help that Kennedy Boulevard (which cuts through the middle of downtown) is a designated truck route."
The partnership is working on designing a walkable tour of downtown and hopes to eventually find money in its budget to install better "way finding signs" than the old blue ones that give vague directions to the Convention Center and courthouse.
It would be wonderful to see more walkers rather than cars downtown, Kress said. But people may be leery of navigating city streets without a car, and are often reminded why.
Last month, a surveillance video caught a pickup truck hitting and killing a man in a motorized wheelchair who was following traffic rules on Main Street near Rome Avenue. The images from the collision played over and over in the news until the driver turned himself in.
An 80-year-old woman was hit and killed by a BMW while crossing Bruce B. Downs Boulevard (a city road) in January.
A Davis Islands newspaper still runs a monthly reminder about the unsolved hit-and-run death of 28-year-old Christine Hodill, who was struck crossing Cleveland Street on Feb. 28 while walking home from a bar.
The number of hit pedestrians is actually down 66 percent this year, compared to the same time last year, Bennett said. But city officials and police say city streets could still be a lot safer for both walkers and bikers.
"We try to focus on educating people," he said. "It's not all about writing tickets. It's how we make the environment more friendly for everyone who uses the roads."
As for Flom, her dog was sent flying into the street (but is okay). Her left leg and eye were bruised. The driver sped away. Police have made no arrests in the case.
"I've had so many (bike-riding) friends who have had this kind of thing happen to them," said Flom, an aerobics instructor. "I think we lost that edge of (being) lovely little Tampa. Now it's a big city."
Emily Nipps can be reached at nipps@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3431.
Jack Sweeney, 39, of Seminole Heights has been a bike commuter off and on since 1989. He is known as “Ghost Rider.”
By
Eric Smithers, Times Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Jack Sweeney, known by bike enthusiasts as "Ghost Rider," has been bike commuting off and on since 1989. The 39-year-old Seminole Heights resident and reference librarian for the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative is also a contributor to the Bike Commuters blog, where his "Just Ask Jack" column fields questions from commuters nationwide. We recently asked him about biking in Tampa and for a few helpful tips.
Why did you decide to commute?
I first started bike commuting in college. I had a bike but no car, so it made perfect sense to ride to class every day (I lived off-campus). When I moved to Florida in 1992, I continued to ride to work since it was actually faster by bike than by car, and I didn't have to worry about finding a parking spot in busy downtown Sarasota. The same applies today — I can bike downtown in 20 minutes and not spend a dime on gas or parking, or I can drive there in 15 minutes and hunt for a parking spot for another 10.
What is Tampa like compared to other areas?
I've commuted in Mobile, Ala., and both Sarasota and Gainesville, in addition to Tampa. Of all of them, Gainesville wins hands-down — incredible bicycling/pedestrian infrastructure, and the city passed an ordinance many years ago that stated every time a road was repaved or widened, bike facilities had to be included in the new work (where feasible).
What encounters have you had in South Tampa and downtown?
Usually, folks give me the room I am entitled to as a road user, but I've had a couple of encounters with work vans, particularly on the road under the convention center. I have been tailgated, forced over and honked at repeatedly. I tend to avoid things under there due to this, but it's the best way to get back from Tampa General Hospital (where my wife works) or the Davis Islands/Bayshore Avenue area.
What are some of the circumstances you face every day?
Bugs, extreme humidity, roadkill, broken glass, huge puddles, honking, confused motorists, dark of night and a paucity of fellow commuters to wave to. Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? Seriously, the city has made great strides in the past four years as far as signage and new bike lanes, but what is really lacking is motorist education. Bicycles are entitled to share the road, and although I mostly get enough room to do my thing, I've had a couple of close brushes that make me extra cautious.
What tips would you give to other bikers?
By
Eric Smithers, Times Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Most mornings Cindy Steinman stands in front of Britton Plaza with her bicycle and waits for the bus.
She recently started working as a clerk at the county courthouse downtown, about 5 miles from her home near Bayshore Boulevard. She takes the 7:10 a.m. express to work, then hops on her bike and breezes home about 5, bypassing cars piled up in rush-hour traffic.
Steinman, 52, is one of thousands to dust off their bicycles and use them for transportation. She gives a multitude of reasons why her pickup stays in the driveway: nice weather, exercise, high gas prices, parking fees.
But biking has its drawbacks, too. The bike lanes stop once she gets downtown, forcing her to ride on the sidewalk for fear of getting hit — a move some bikers call dangerous.
More and more, biking advocates are fighting to make routes like Steinman's safer, whether it be with bike lanes or more trails — whatever it takes to make room for cyclists on Tampa's streets.
Progress being made
For Gena Torres, coordinator of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, it's a daunting task to keep riders safe and educated in a city that isn't known for being bike-friendly.
It's not the experienced cyclists that worry her most. Many on the road ride out of necessity. "These are people between 20 and 40 who have either lost their license or don't have cars for lots of different reasons, and they need headlights and tail lights," she said. "We need more bike lanes."
According to the U.S. Census, nearly 9,000 people in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties regularly rode their bikes to work in 2006, up from about 6,000 in 2000. Also in 2006, Florida ranked No. 2 in the nation in bicycle fatalities with 132, according to a study done by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Torres has spent 14 years on the biking committee, which is part of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Hillsborough's transportation planning agency. In the past six years, the agency has spearheaded projects including the bike trail on Bayshore and a bike lane on Jackson Street.
Drafting an $11-million to $13-million proposal to connect the Upper Tampa Bay Trail in Westchase to the Suncoast Trail, which stretches from Pasco to Citrus counties, is now its biggest priority.
The benefit of recruiting more cyclists counters cost concerns, Torres said. "Trails are breeding grounds for commuters."
The Nebraska Avenue construction project is one victory.
During the 2007 mayoral campaign, the MPO presented the Florida Department of Transportation with a $16-million proposal to resurface a 3-mile stretch on Nebraska Avenue between Kennedy Boulevard and Hillsborough Avenue.
The design was approved, and construction is under way to transform the four-lane road into three lanes with a dual left turn lane and north and south bike lanes. Nebraska is ideal for bike lanes, Torres said.
"The (traffic) volumes were low, it was being resurfaced; it's in a neighborhood. I just hope it works," she said.
The MPO eventually wants to extend the South Tampa Greenway near Gandy Boulevard to the Friendship Trail Bridge, Picnic Island, MacDill Air Force Base and Bayshore Boulevard. The hope is that the trail would span 18 miles one day.
In addition, Mayor Pam Iorio supports the agency's proposal to create a bike lane on Platt Street by painting a stripe down one side, Torres said. The potential cost and other details have not been determined.
Shop owners unite
Julie Bond and Alan Snel, who lead two instrumental bike advocacy groups, support Torres' efforts.
Bond is the executive director at the public-private partnership New North Transportation Alliance, which hosts forums on transportation for businesses, local governments and residents.
She moved to Tampa 2 1/2 years ago from Salt Lake City, which is known for its bike culture. Locally, she encourages people to use alternative transportation and practices what she preaches by biking from her Temple Terrace home to her job at the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research.
Seven area bike shop owners have banded together under Snel's direction, calling themselves the South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers.
Snel, who has lived in Tampa for five years, said he has cycled across the country twice and bikes an average of 12,000 miles a year. He also started the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club for recreational cycling trips around town.
"I was stunned at how many dangerous conditions there were when I moved here," said Snel, who has written freelance articles for the St. Petersburg Times.
Some of his horrors are bike lanes that suddenly disappear and drivers who don't seem to know the 3-foot buffer law.
Since 2006, Florida has required drivers to stay at least 3 feet from bicyclists on the road. Failing to do so is a moving violation that could carry a $60 fine, court costs and three points on the driver's license.
Snel's advocacy group writes letters to local governments, telling them how important bike lanes and bike-friendly roads are, Snel said.
Randy Myhre, who owns Oliver's Cycle Sports in New Tampa, is part of the group.
"If we can get a majority of local shops together and talk to local politicians, what we say will carry a lot more weight," he said.
Mind-set must change
If biking is going to become a serious transportation alternative, Myhre thinks the mind-set of drivers must change.
"We've got roads everywhere, and if people didn't feel like they were being threatened by drivers, they might try and use them," he said.
Steinman, the clerk at the courthouse, knows the challenges she faces.
"It's hit or miss trying to find the best and least dangerous way," she said. "It would be nice to have some way to travel that wouldn't risk your life."
Until then, she says she'll just keep her eyes open and try to enjoy the ride.
Times researchers Angie Holan and Shirl Kennedy contributed to this report. Eric Smithers can be reached at esmithers@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3339.
Map for cyclists
View an up-to-date map of Hillsborough County that shows trails, which roads have bicycle lanes and others that pose dangers for bikers at tampabaycycle.com. Check local bike shops in May to obtain the same map in printed form for free.
Renee Blaney of Ocala was honored last week by Gov. Charlie Crist with a Point of Light Award for her outstanding volunteer work. The president of the Ocala Mountain Bike Association, Blaney regularly maintains trails in part of the Cross Florida Greenway.
Renee worked with the International Mountain Bicycling Association and the Office of Greenways and Trails to develop an extensive off-road bike trail network. She also established a volunteer bike patrol to enhance the safety of the trails. Each year, Renee helps coordinate the annual Spring Break Fat Tire Festival, attracting more than 300 riders to the Cross Florida Greenway’s bike trail network. In 2006, the International Mountain Bicycling Association designated the Santos portion of the trail as an Epic Ride, “something worth celebrating and making a special trip.”
Governor Crist will present the award during a Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra reception at the Governor’s Mansion. Congratulations, Renee.
[via Spokes N Folks]
Just like every other group ride in history, the ones in Winter Park are becoming a nuisance to local motorists. They complain about riders hogging the road and blowing through stop signs, just like every group ride does. So the police went out and followed these rides and their video ended up on the local news.
Two things worth pointing out about this story:
So as the popularity of the sport increases and there are more and more riders on the road, the issue will only get worse. But bike lanes are not the answer, each bike stopping individually at a stop sign is not the answer and riding single file is not the answer. There are no easy answers.
[via Dave Moulton]
Recently I was asked to participate in the judging of the Tampa BayCycle photography contest. On Friday I stopped by their offices at the USF campus and got a chance to see all the wonderful submissions. There was some great stuff and I'd like to thank all of those who participated.
I can't reveal the winners yet, but you'll have a chance to see them and the other entires May 1 at the opening reception of their display at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. Can't make it then? They will be there until May 31. Stay tuned for more.
[photo courtesy of Julie Bond]
Published Monday, April 7, 2008 5:42 PM
"Share the road" is the slogan the bicycle riders want everyone to learn and abide by. The biggest problem with that is they need to do the same!
I have had it with the arrogant attitude of most of the ones that ride the hills between Dade City and Brooksville. Some of them ride in large groups three to four cyclists wide and block the lanes. We ride motorcycles in that area, not sport bikes but cruisers, just to enjoy the scenery and rolling hills. When coming upon them, we move to the left in a single file and go around, when we can. Lately, they have been riding three to four wide, blocking the lane on these double yellow line, no-passing areas. They turn and laugh because they have it blocked and we can't go around. What this will cause is someone getting hurt!
Can someone tell me why the motorized vehicle no longer has any rights? I am done being polite and courteous with the ones that act that way. The rest of them will get the respect that they offer up.
Eddie Jenkins, Land O'Lakes
Poor guy. State Farm makes him look like a sap. As if they hadn't caused us enough grief already, a new commercial for the insurance carrier features this man forced to *gasp* ride a bike to work because of rising gas prices!! Oh, the humanity!!!
Now, I'm pretty used to getting strange looks when I roll up on my bike and wouldn't be at all put off by the heckling this guy receives from his co-workers, but the point is, it's clear someone in the ad agency feels that commuting by bike is an embarrassment, and enough people agreed for this commercial to make its way onto TV. Naturally, the bike community is up-in-arms about it.
Is this a sign we are no closer to alternative transportation becoming a possibility, let alone a reality, in America? That despite the rising fuel costs, the general populous is simply not at all interested? That no amount of economic hardship will force us to reexamine our car-loving culture?
So a lot of cyclists are upset about this commercial. That comes as no surprise. But deep down I think many of us enjoy being outsiders. We enjoying knowing there is an easier way, and that we derive a certain satisfaction from knowing that we're comfortable enough in our own skin to embrace a lifestyle that runs directly counter to so many others'.
That, and I love all the extra cash I have that I didn't spend on gas.
What do you think?
Oh, and if you want to send State Farm a note about their commercial, you can do so here.
[via FlaBikes]
This answers one question: Sean Kelly is far better on a bike than he ever will be on camera.
I apologize for this consuming all your free time for the rest of the day like it did to mine.
I know the big accident on July 6, 2003 still resonates within the Tampa Bay cycling community. I know a few people who were there that day and I'm sure some of you readers were as well. The St. Petersburg Times' Jeff Klinkenberg brings us this heartwarming story of one survivor and his long road to recovery. - Adam
Mike Rieth, left, and Bill Hansbury hold onto David Arnold as he pedals for the first time with a prosthetic leg Rieth just fitted him with at St. Petersburg Limb & Brace. Arnold was injured in a mass bike accident in 2003 in St. Petersburg. Photo by Martha Rial/St. Petersburg Times.
ST. PETERSBURG — All he planned to do was sit on a bike again. He had no illusions about leaning into the aero position and pedaling 100 RPMs like in his hammerhead days, when he blew by other riders and felt immortal.
David Arnold, 52, just wanted to sense the saddle under his pelvic bones, squeeze the grips, toe the pedals, feel like a cyclist. He wasn't sure he would even try to go anywhere.
He hadn't ridden since the beautiful Sunday morning of July 6, 2003. He was winding his way through the St. Petersburg suburbs with 40 elite cyclists when a man disoriented by diabetes drove his Lincoln Continental into them at 30 mph.
Nobody was killed. But 14 riders were seriously hurt. Arnold, his left knee shattered, his femur almost severed, was among the most terribly maimed.
Over months and years, almost everyone hurt in the accident recovered enough to resume their workouts. But not Arnold, a technology research specialist at St. Petersburg College. After eight surgeries he walked stiff-legged, like Frankenstein.
Last summer, after he developed a new infection, he endured operation No. 9. His orthopedist removed his left leg just above the knee.
As things worked out, that was just what he needed to get back on his bike.
• • •
The other day, Arnold drove his shiny Chrysler convertible to St. Petersburg Limb and Brace on 37th St. N. Prosthetist Michael Rieth had designed him a new leg and he had learned to walk on it. Now Arnold would try to get on a bike, too. His friend and fellow cyclist Bill Hansbury, who also has a prosthetic leg, was there to support him.
Arnold popped the trunk and removed two bicycle wheels. He opened the rear door and took out the frame. His prized Greg Lemond racer had been demolished in the accident along with his left leg. This bike was his old mountain bike, dusty and rusty, like him.
He put it together, leaned it against a van and straddled it. "No. No. No,'' he mumbled and climbed awkwardly off. He adjusted the saddle and tried again. It still didn't feel right.
Arnold is one of those perfectionist technical guys; as a younger man he built race-car engines. He enjoys talking about engines but talks about feelings with difficulty.
He fiddled once more with the saddle. He said, "We don't quite have it yet, Mike.'' Rieth agreed. "Next time you're here I'll contour the socket of your prosthesis to allow you to sit a little easier on the bike,'' he said.
An intense man, Arnold now tuned out everyone else. For a minute no one spoke.
"Okay. I'm ready,'' Arnold suddenly said from atop the saddle.
Rieth and Hansbury spoke in unison.
"What? Are you sure?''
Arnold pushed off against the van. He was moving.
• • •
For an instant Rieth had his hand on Arnold's back. He trotted next to his patient like a dad teaching his little boy to ride on a suburban sidewalk.
"I'm riding,'' Arnold said, the way an excited little boy might. "I'm riding.''
His pretend left foot fell off the pedal. He reached over and lifted it back on. He disappeared around the corner. Leaning on his own artificial leg, Hansbury predicted, "He won't want to stop.''
Arnold could not hide his smile as he pedaled. This euphoric moment on the bike could not erase memories of the accident, the months in the hospital, the pain and anger and loss. But it was a start.
He pedaled around the building again and again. He pedaled between parked cars and bystanders. It wasn't like he was a hammerhead reborn — hammerheads are cycling gods who ride 30 mph or more even on level ground — but he was riding, and that was enough, for now.
"I didn't think you were going to do it,'' Michael Rieth said when Arnold pulled over.
"When I'm walking I'm an amputee,'' Arnold said quietly. "On a bike I'm a cyclist.''
Jeff Klinkenberg can be reached at (727) 893-8727 and klink@sptimes.com.
Good Samaritan at bike crash says deputy believed he fell asleep There was no screech, no
bang - no noise to warn bicyclist Daniel Brasse what was coming up
around the corner Sunday morning on Stevens Canyon Road.
A Santa Clara County sheriff's patrol car was facing the wrong way on
the wrong side of the road after slamming into a group of Brasse's
riding partners. A deputy was walking around in a daze, later telling
at least two witnesses he had fallen asleep.
One of Brasse's friends, Matt Peterson, 30, was already dead. Another,
Christopher Knapp, 20, was writhing in agony, with two limbs broken.
And the third, 31-year-old Kristianna Gough, her leg severed and her
head bleeding, was gasping for air.
As he pedaled toward the gruesome scene, all Brasse could hear were screams.
"Screams of pain," he said, his voice cracking.
The Bicyclist is a self-described "windblown and rain soaked comedy series from the hipster streets of counter culture Portland, Oregon." The show, a product of independent filmmakers Sharon and Carl Jameson, debuted about a year ago, destined specifically for online outlets like blip.tv and Revver. It's completely free to watch and at 25 episodes strong, you've got some catching up to do! Each episode runs about five minutes. Check out the trailer below.
[via Urban Velo]
With Steven Cozza of Slipstream-Chipotle and some teammates rockin some serious 'staches this season, why not take a look back at the history of the mustache in cycling courtesy of How To Avoid The Bummer Life.
