Amid all of this discussion, I would encourage everyone to make an effort to try
and get someone that doesn't normally ride a bike, out and on the ROADS during
the month of May.

It doesn't have to be bike to work; although that is a great way to introduce
them.

Offer to help get their bike up and ridable. Better yet, offer up a bike and
helmet if they don't have one

Don't invite them on a ride per se, but invite them to dinner or a destination
you know that person frequents (i.e. Tavern). Just throw in, "Oh, and we're
going to ride our bikes there", after they have committed.

We have to get more people out on the roads and off the bike trails. When
you're in your car, you don't see that two inch deep drift of sand and glass
around the storm drains. You don't see the huge chunks of concrete missing
from our little 2 ft of curb we are alloted.

If we can get enough people to experience bike via street travel, we might pick
up a little more empathy from the auto community.


- r.L Bennett

"Conlan, John (09700)" <john.conlan@...> wrote:
Hey all,

I picked up this cool book a couple of months ago. The complete book of
Bicycling by Eugene A . Sloane, (c) 1970. It's a very cool old book
filled with history and cycling facts. I found this little tidbit in the
chapter titled- The fad that lasted- A short history of bicycling, to be
relevant to the discussion. It says- The general populace resented
cyclists, just as many were against the early automobiles. Farmers took
personal delight in blocking the narrow roads of the day with their
wagons, and they went as slowly as possible just to aggravate cyclist
behind them. Country bumpkins took great delight in thrusting sticks
between the spokes of cyclists' wheels to knock them off their seats.
When people were riding the " penny farthing" in the early days of
cycling, a stick between the spokes of a high wheel brought disaster to
the cyclist and guffaws from pranksters. One of the reasons the early
cycling clubs were formed, aside from social purposes, was to provide
protection from wanton attacks on cyclists. Horse- drawn vehicles, in
addition to blocking roads, were often deliberately sent careening into
groups of cyclist, which injured riders as well as damaged their
machines.
In England at this time , restaurant and tea shop owners refused to
serve cyclists, particularly female riders who wore what the owner of
one restaurant described as " outlandish and shocking costumes.....

I have never participated in TNWC, I am just a greasy old mountain
biker. I do however own and ride road bikes and mountain bikes on the
road and have been cursed at, swerved at, had bottles thrown at, and in
one instance had to resort to slapping a young man upside his head thru
his window.

My point is- we have been discriminated against for years!! And I
fu*#@kin love it! Don't get me wrong I don't want anyone to get hurt, I
don't want to piss off some stupid redneck driving a 3,000 lb pickup, I
don't WANT to fight to have the privilege of riding my bike..... but I
will!!! To hell with the whiners calling bike world, fat, cig puffin,
jealous pieces of shit... Ride your bikes, It's the rock & roll thing to
do!!



-----Original Message-----
From: bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com [mailto:bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Lane Anderson
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 1:33 PM
To: Lane Anderson; Duffy, Brian; dmable@...;
bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com; bk.reese@...;
brent_mitchell@...; ckirkpatrick@...; fishaus@...;
flridgway@...; garrett.ben@...; hantelmann1@...;
kristin.reese@...; luggs1@...; mattgummisu@...;
mruhtenberg@...; Newell.John.F@...;
teamEMUracing@yahoogroups.com; lou Waugaman
Subject: Re: [BikeIowa] Re: TNWCs



My previous email being said, I started meeting the group at the
top of the dam, out of town two years ago, because, if I don't have to
ride through town with the group, why do it? So, I don't have first hand
knowledge of the ride through town since '06.

Of course, that's the bonus of the ride being the same route
year, after year, I know they'll be to the dam between 6:00 and 6:05 no
matter what.

----- Original Message -----
From: Lane Anderson
To: Duffy, Brian ; dmable@... <mailto:dmable%40juno.com> ;
bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com <mailto:bikeiowa%40yahoogroups.com> ;
bk.reese@... <mailto:bk.reese%40mchsi.com> ;
brent_mitchell@... <mailto:brent_mitchell%40Newsham.com> ;
ckirkpatrick@... <mailto:ckirkpatrick%40cbi.com> ;
fishaus@... <mailto:fishaus%40mchsi.com> ; flridgway@...
<mailto:flridgway%40yahoo.com> ; garrett.ben@...
<mailto:garrett.ben%40principal.com> ; hantelmann1@...
<mailto:hantelmann1%40mchsi.com> ; kristin.reese@...
<mailto:kristin.reese%40meredith.com> ; luggs1@...
<mailto:luggs1%40yahoo.com> ; mattgummisu@...
<mailto:mattgummisu%40yahoo.com> ; mruhtenberg@...
<mailto:mruhtenberg%40yahoo.com> ; Newell.John.F@...
<mailto:Newell.John.F%40principal.com> ; teamEMUracing@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:teamEMUracing%40yahoogroups.com> ; lou Waugaman
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 11:43 AM
Subject: Re: [BikeIowa] Re: TNWCs

Excellent points, Lou. My sentiments, exactly.

I do agree with Dave that our actions in the group should be
consistant with our actions alone and realize our actions in the group
affect every rider every day. However, I don't think riding down Beaver,
delaying traffic by 30 seconds should be something we need to apologize
for.

I do feel certain riders don't need to react to every f-bomb
lobbed our way. Also, sometimes people just aren't great drivers and get
flustered around a group of cyclists, they don't need to be berated and
attacked with F-bombs for simply a driving mistake. We need to keep in
mind, there are hundreds of cars we encounter that give us plenty of
room, don't mind driving behind us for 10 blocks, and don't yell
obscenities at us. We also need to keep in mind it's not us vs them, we
are them. 95% of us get in a car and drive to work every morning.

We can't promote our cause by creating a divide. Some people and
pro-bicycle groups have different agendas, but most of ours is the
desire for safe enjoyment of the sport or hobby of riding bike. If it is
an us vs them, they'll win every time, because they have numbers and
2000 lb vehicles. Let's find a way to let drivers know we are them, we
drive cars, we have families, we work for a living, we're riding bikes
for our enjoyment, not to tell them how they should live.

----- Original Message -----
From: lou Waugaman
To: Duffy, Brian ; dmable@... <mailto:dmable%40juno.com> ;
bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com <mailto:bikeiowa%40yahoogroups.com> ;
bk.reese@... <mailto:bk.reese%40mchsi.com> ;
brent_mitchell@... <mailto:brent_mitchell%40Newsham.com> ;
ckirkpatrick@... <mailto:ckirkpatrick%40cbi.com> ;
fishaus@... <mailto:fishaus%40mchsi.com> ; flridgway@...
<mailto:flridgway%40yahoo.com> ; garrett.ben@...
<mailto:garrett.ben%40principal.com> ; hantelmann1@...
<mailto:hantelmann1%40mchsi.com> ; kristin.reese@...
<mailto:kristin.reese%40meredith.com> ; lane@...
<mailto:lane%40all9yards.com> ; luggs1@...
<mailto:luggs1%40yahoo.com> ; mattgummisu@...
<mailto:mattgummisu%40yahoo.com> ; mruhtenberg@...
<mailto:mruhtenberg%40yahoo.com> ; Newell.John.F@...
<mailto:Newell.John.F%40principal.com> ; teamEMUracing@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:teamEMUracing%40yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 11:09 AM
Subject: [BikeIowa] Re: TNWCs

First, we're not meeting at Saylorville lake. 300 people ride 2
hours through downtown Chicago every week. 250 cyclists ride through
Tuscon every week. Iowa is much less congested than either of those
places. I say we make sure we clearly understand the law; follow it, and
then stop apologizing to people for riding our bikes. The motorists who
complain are usually fat and unhappy. Can't we just ignore them or smile
and make nice?

The people at the bike shop should remind the people who
complain that we have every right to be out there. The shoulder on the
stretch of road between Merle Hay and Beaver is so filled with pot holes
that we are forced to avoid it and ride on the smoother lane in traffic.
If the bike lane were properly maintained, we would use it. The speed
limit along there is 25. We are probably going 20+ so we are not really
impeding traffic. (So I'm curious -are we to believe that people were so
unhappy that they pulled into Bike World and made a complaint? Or were
these cyclists who were on their way to the bike shop and complained?
Did our advocates at the bike shop share the cyclists' perspective with
the complaining motorists? Let's hope so.).

We should not run stop signs. But the stop sign in question is
at a T intersection, and if there are no cars coming from the north,
then it's just mean-spiritedness to make an issue of that. The stop
light that we proceeded through at Douglas was green when our group
started though. The knucklehead who honked was just being a jerk; a good
candidate for a Lippold tongue lashing. As long as the group remained
together, we should be considered like a wedding procession and
permitted to stay grouped together - this is safer for everyone.

Duffy is right, we need to be diplomatic, but lets remember that
we are fighting the good fight and not suggest that we are second class
citizens because we ride bikes. Remember, we are not interfering with
traffic, we are traffic.

We're not the problem - intolerance is the problem.

----- Original Message ----
From: "Duffy, Brian" <bduffy@...
<mailto:bduffy%40desmoine.gannett.com> >
To: "dmable@... <mailto:dmable%40juno.com> "
<dmable@... <mailto:dmable%40juno.com> >; "Duffy, Brian"
<bduffy@... <mailto:bduffy%40desmoine.gannett.com> >;
"bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com <mailto:bikeiowa%40yahoogroups.com> "
<bikeiowa@yahoogroups.com <mailto:bikeiowa%40yahoogroups.com> >;
"bk.reese@... <mailto:bk.reese%40mchsi.com> " <bk.reese@...
<mailto:bk.reese%40mchsi.com> >; "brent_mitchell@...
<mailto:brent_mitchell%40Newsham.com> " <brent_mitchell@...
<mailto:brent_mitchell%40Newsham.com> >; "ckirkpatrick@...
<mailto:ckirkpatrick%40cbi.com> " <ckirkpatrick@...
<mailto:ckirkpatrick%40cbi.com> >; "fishaus@...
<mailto:fishaus%40mchsi.com> " <fishaus@...
<mailto:fishaus%40mchsi.com> >; "flridgway@...
<mailto:flridgway%40yahoo.com> " <flridgway@...
<mailto:flridgway%40yahoo.com> >; "garrett.ben@...
<mailto:garrett.ben%40principal.com> " <garrett.ben@...
<mailto:garrett.ben%40principal.com> >; "hantelmann1@...
<mailto:hantelmann1%40mchsi.com> " <hantelmann1@...
<mailto:hantelmann1%40mchsi.com> >; "kristin.reese@...
<mailto:kristin.reese%40meredith.com> " <kristin.reese@...
<mailto:kristin.reese%40meredith.com> >; "lane@...
<mailto:lane%40all9yards.com> " <lane@...
<mailto:lane%40all9yards.com> >; "luggs1@...
<mailto:luggs1%40yahoo.com> " <luggs1@...
<mailto:luggs1%40yahoo.com> >; "lwaugaman@...
<mailto:lwaugaman%40yahoo.com> " <lwaugaman@...
<mailto:lwaugaman%40yahoo.com> >; "mattgummisu@...
<mailto:mattgummisu%40yahoo.com> " <mattgummisu@...
<mailto:mattgummisu%40yahoo.com> >; "mruhtenberg@...
<mailto:mruhtenberg%40yahoo.com> " <mruhtenberg@...
<mailto:mruhtenberg%40yahoo.com> >; "Newell.John.F@...
<mailto:Newell.John.F%40principal.com> " <Newell.John.F@...
<mailto:Newell.John.F%40principal.com> >; "teamEMUracing@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:teamEMUracing%40yahoogroups.com> "
<teamEMUracing@yahoogroups.com <mailto:teamEMUracing%40yahoogroups.com>
>
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 4:11:12 PM
Subject: Re: TNWCs

As an unbiased participant ( I save the bias for my cartoons)
and someone who has been away from this ride for well over 10 years, I'd
like to through in my 2 cents worth. This ride has grown enormously
since it's inception, and the roads that we ride on have seen in marked
increase in traffic. A combination like this is like playing Russian
roulette with more than one chamber loaded. I am not in any way shape or
form a leader in this ride just someone who can give historical
perspective, and as the host that that other ride that overloads the
roads in Iowa once a year I know first hand that certain authorities can
shut a ride like this down if they deem it to be a hazard. A suggestion:
the movers and shakers of the TNWC get together and discuss the issue
and solutions. I have enjoyed hooking back up with old friends and
meeting new ones on this ride and I hope that this institution of
central Iowa bike racing doesn't kill itself with it's own success.
Brian Duffy
I'm the guy that wears the RAGBRAI kits.

On 4/30/08 3:46 PM, "dmable@... <mailto:dmable%40juno.com>
" <dmable@... <mailto:dmable%40juno.com> > wrote:

I know - I know - but...

The past 3 weeks there have been complaints to Bike World about
the TNWCs - mostly about blocking traffic all the way up Urbandale -
even with 40-60 people, we used to ride 2 x 2 until we crossed Beaver. I
know we don't officially start at BW and the streets are open and stuff
- but I figure that if people are complaining to the shop - the
city/cops can't be far behind - and all they'd have to do is watch that
new stop sign and bust us all for that violation (anyone remember the
Boulder ride in 1987?) - and they'll do it every week until they kill
the ride.

Anyway - I would encourage us all to be cogniscant of our
presence -and remember that we don't have full road closure (as many of
us would like to think) - certainly running the stoplight in front of
oncoming traffic onto Douglas was another example of complete
inconsideration of other traffic and the rules of the road.

As was evidenced last week - we are not invincible - crashes can
happen - and if we keep up our current practices on the road - next time
it might be a vehicle that takes us down - and that would suck.

OR - we could meet out of town somewhere - Saylorville visitors
Center??? 5:45?

editors note: I know there are differences in color, and there
have been splits and trades and shuffling of teams - and I aknowledge
that I, myself, am in the middle of it all - but I believe that, while
we will love to crush each other at the Green Days Criteruim and take
home the coffee and cool trophy - I am sure that NONE of us want to see
ANY of us get hurt - or worse -

Peace - and I mean it - Dave

PS - we're working on getting cyclingupdate.com back on the air
asap....

David Mable
ALL9Yards Real Estate Group
www.ALL9Yards.com
"For ALL Your Real Estate Needs!"

__________________________________________________________
Let great B to B marketing solutions propel your brand to new
heights! Click now!
<http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2122/fc/Ioyw6i3norRjsyk14sSxLoEgcdL
rDEsXeFEIlbL8RXH3emyBeY29lK/?count=1234567890
<http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2122/fc/Ioyw6i3norRjsyk14sSxLoEgcdL
rDEsXeFEIlbL8RXH3emyBeY29lK/?count=1234567890>
><http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2122/fc/Ioyw6i3norRjsyk14sSxLoEgcd
LrDEsXeFEIlbL8RXH3emyBeY29lK/?count=1234567890
<http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2122/fc/Ioyw6i3norRjsyk14sSxLoEgcdL
rDEsXeFEIlbL8RXH3emyBeY29lK/?count=1234567890> >

__________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
<http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]