Planning for 2005 – What Do You Want??August 13, 2004 Have some ideas you’d like the WCA to consider for 2005? Send your thoughts to: wcatech@earthlink.net. The board will meet sometime in the fall to consider what changes to make to the racing guidelines in 2005. This is your chance to be heard so don’t hold back. Get your fingers moving on the ole keyboard and tell us what you liked, didn’t like, or would like to see next year. And thanks—WCA depends on you, the rider, for feedback, so we can keep improving the racing for everyone. A Million ThanksAugust 3, 2004 I would like to thank everyone who is reading this because you and your support have made all of the difference in the world. I want to let you all know that I am lucky enough to be returning to school at UW Madison for my sophomore year this fall. There is no question in my mind that my miraculous recovery is a result of the tremendous support I have received from you all. Also I would like to thank all of those who played a role in getting me my new bike; I have to say, when my mom told me about it, I almost fell out of my hospital bed. With heart felt thanks, Matthew Wittig. Matt Wittig hoists his new Colnago, built up by his IS Corp teammates and with donations from his team and WCA members. Matt is progressing well and you can read about his recovery or send him a note by going to his blogspot: http://mjwstatus.blogspot.com. Calling All Cyclists….Please Read This!By Rebecca Anderson, WCA President July 21, 2004 What follows is a well-written request from Marjorie Ward, director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. Marjorie has recently attended town meetings where the townies had justifiable complaints about cyclists and vice versa. We all owe her thanks for having the courage to listen to the complaints and start to dialogue with the folks who have problems with riders. To be sure there is enough blame to go around so as Marjorie suggests, let us, the cyclists, take the high road and pledge to move forward with more courtesy on the road. Marjorie gives some suggestions on how to do this and feel free to contact her or WCA with ideas or suggestions. Can’t we all just get along?By Marjorie Ward I’ve got a favor to ask on behalf of the bicyclists, motorists, and residents of Dane County…can we all try just a little bit harder to be nice to each other out there? As many of you know, there has been some uproar recently in Western Dane County over how bicyclists and motorists share the road. To be sure, there has been poor behavior out there from both sides…not everyone…but some folks have been less than law abiding or courteous on their bikes or in their cars. I’d like to propose that we start over right now…take the high road…and make things right. I have been meeting with local officials in Western Dane County…and their concerns fall into the following major categories: 1. Concern about closing roads for race events and how this affects resident access to local services including mail delivery, garbage drop off, emergency vehicles, and general freedom of movement. 2. A feeling that they have not been included in the planning of special bicycle events or races and thus, were caught unaware. Included in this is concern over unexpected costs that the local communities might bear for event preparation, security, and clean up. 3. Resentment and safety concern over bicyclists riding in groups who do not obey the laws or are discourteous, including not stopping at stop signs, riding more than two abreast so as to block passing traffic, and not singling up when a car is trying to pass. Also concern about litter and rude behavior in general by bicyclists. There is also some concern about car parking in small communities for large informal ride groups. I think that most of these issues are easily addressed through common courtesy and open communication. I am making an attempt to contact all event organizers who run rides in Western Dane County to encourage them to work with the locals as much as possible. If you know of an event to take place out there, please let me know about it (so far I am aware of the Horribly Hilly Hundred, the Right Stuff Century, the Ironman, and last year’s NCAA nationals). I would also encourage ride organizers to get down on paper the agreements with the locals…so that no one can say later “we weren’t told”. Be aware that, when you contact the local groups…contact villages, cities, county…AND TOWNS. Much of the concern is with regards to towns that feel out of the loop, even though they have jurisdiction over local roads. What can you do? 1. Above all obey the laws. Stop at stop signs. Ride single file or two abreast only (this is the law…but try especially hard to obey the law if there are cars around). For motorists’ part…they should give you 3 feet of passing clearance and they should not try to pass you if it is not safe to do so because of road conditions or design. Motorists also need to drive the posted speed limit or slower if conditions warrant (like when they need to pass a bicyclist on a tough stretch of road). 2. Be courteous. Smile. Wave. Say hello. When a car is trying to pass…ride single file. Make it as easy as you can to allow cars to pass. Though you are not required to do so…consider pulling over for a second and letting the car pass if it is a particularly difficult stretch of road for passing. 3. If you are running an organized event…contact all local communities well in advance. Realize that you are a guest in their community…try to do all you can to make it pleasant for the community to have bicyclists around. Maybe there is a local girl scout troop that could sell cookies as a fundraiser at the event…try to build bridges. 4. If you have a club or informal group ride planned that will likely involve large groups of people who will need car parking…consider a quick call to the village or town office to warn them ahead of time. They may have a better option for parking to suggest…and calling them makes them feel that their opinion is being heard and their concerns addressed. 5. Report any harassment that you experience from motorists or illegal motorist behavior to the Dane County Sheriff. Try to get a license plate and be specific about the location of the incident. Though the Sheriff’s office will likely not be able to respond due to the low number of officers available to cover the region, the bicycling community needs to be able to document any of these types of incidents (Dane County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Gary Hamblin, 115 W. Doty Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703 (608) 284-6800. The contact for the Western part of Dane County is Lieutenant Tim Ritter at (608) 267-4936...for emergencies, call 911). Questions? Ideas? The bicycling community
is diverse…the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin would like
to help in any way that we can to make Wisconsin a better place
to bicycle. We are happy to provide any educational materials or
talks…to attend meetings…and to act as a point of contact
for addressing these issues. But…it is up to the people on
the roads…both bicyclists and motorists…to make this
thing work. Bicyclists and motorists both have equal rights and
responsibilities on the roads. Education and communication is the
first step. If we can all just try to be a little bit nicer to each
other…I think this problem can go away and we can share the
road safely and pleasantly. Please feel free to contact me, Marjorie
Ward, Executive Director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin,
at 608-251-4456 or marjorie@bfw.org…or visit our website at
www.bfw.org. For a copy of the laws in Wisconsin as they relate
to bicyclists…check out “BikeSense: The Wisconsin Bicycle
Operator’s Manual” page 33-34 at http://www.bfw.org/new_bfw/projects/BikeSenseDaneCo-2004-04-27_Pantone543.pdf
(hard copies are available at the Bicycle Federation office
at 106 E. Doty #400, Madison). You can order bulk quantities of
bicycle law cards for free for your events and rides from the WisDOT
at //www.dot.state.wi.us/business/publications/safetymaterials.htm Please…ride confidently, ride safely, ride lawfully, and ride courteously. Drive your car the same way. Thanks for reading this…please distribute widely and pass the word along. Marjorie S. Ward Wisconsin Riders at SuperweekJuly 21, 2004 Superweek is in week 2 and Wisconsin, as always, has contenders in every field. Here are a few results. Dan Lionberg, Stone Creek Coffee/One Percent More Racing Club is currently leading cat 4 series. Also in the top five of that category are Cole House of Bellin Health Team and Brad Pearson, also of Stone Creek Coffee. Dan Teters of PCW is in 9th place. Taking wins for Stone Creek at Superweek are Brad Pearson, Nick Holbus and Dan Lionberg. In the mens 3 division at Superweek, Michael Anderson of Bike Hub and Robert White Junr of Fond du Lac Cyclery are 2nd and 5th overall, Al Krueger of CZ Velo is 15th. In the Pro ½ Division Frankie Dierking continues to make the breaks and finish high in the points. He is currently in 5th overall. In the Masters 30+ Pat Loney of Great Dane Velo finished 5th overall, Paul Nilsen of Brazen Dropouts finished 6th and took a win at Menasha, and Todd Miller of Endeavour capped off a great week with a win at Bensonville. In the Masters 40+ Chris Halvorson continues to produce some fine results as he has all season. Bill Ochowicz and John Van Susteran are also producing excellent results. Congratulations to all our Wisconsin riders! Wisconsin Juniors Stellar at Track NatsAugust 13, 2004 Wisconsin Junior riders Allyson Brunner, Aaron Kacala, and Natalie Klemko are lighting up the track at Junior Track Nats this week. Check on their results at cyclingnews.com. New State Championship Jerseys!August 13, 2004
If you won at any of the state championship events so far this year here is what you'll be wearing. WCA would like to thank Nick Holbus for his sharp design and VERGE for their great service and pricing. Congratulations to all our state champions! Clarifying Wisconsin Age Group Categories for State Championship EventsMay 7, 2004 We’d like to take a moment to clarify a rider’s WCA points eligibility as it relates to State Championship events. It is only in the time trial that riders are restricted to their actual age group. For both the State Championship criterium and the road race, masters age groups are 30+, 35+,40+, etc. This means that riders are eligible to compete in multiple classes for both WCA points and the championship. You do not have to cede any points for these events. The decision to include the championships in Wisconsin Cup tabulations was made at the membership meeting in January. The proposed guidelines for 2004 were posted on the website for more than a month prior to that meeting. Your Logo Here! Space Available on State Champion JerseysMay 7, 2004 You can join Endeavour and Wisconsin Health and Fitness as a sponsor of the State Championship jersey. Your contribution will help underwrite the cost of the jerseys, over 75 of which are awarded every year. Contact board@wicycling.org. Cancer Touches a Wisconsin Family and Inspires a Father to RideMay 7, 2004 Whitefish Bay resident and avid cyclist John Gilbert is fairly new to cycling. While his son Ian was receiving treatment for stage three lymphoma, John spent many long hours waiting at the hospital. It was during that time that someone gave Gilbert Lance Armstrong’s book. It’s Not About the Bike. We’ll let him tell you the story but in short Gilbert and his son are well and their story is inspiring. Q: Where are you from
originally?
Q: What is your profession?
When my son was sick in 2001-2003, a work colleague who’d been cycling for years visited us at Children’s Hospital and loaned me Lance’s first book, “It’s not About the Bike”. I read it in 48 hours, and was inspired in two ways. First, I realized for the first time (no thanks to the oncologists) that having cancer doesn’t automatically mean you have a death sentence. Next, I was equally inspired by Lance’s story about cycling. I wanted to try cycling and for the first time in my life, bike farther than 1 mile to Dairy Queen in Whitefish Bay. In the summer of 2001, I met the great folks from the MACC Fund (and the Make A Wish Foundation), and they convinced me to try the Trek 100 Ride for Hope. I was moved by all the people who were fund-raising for a cause, and so I raised over $5,000 and rode my first 100K, on a P.O.S. trail bike I owned for years. I enjoyed it very much and the MACC fund gave me a beautiful Trek 2300 for my efforts, which I have since put over 3,500 miles on.
This spring I signed up for a license at http://www.usacycling.org, and intend to compete sometime this summer for the first time. I need to gain some experience first, however, with fast pacelines and riding in larger groups. I can keep a 20-25mph pace now for a few hours, so I have come a long way since my bike-to-Dairy-Queen days! Q: What would you
tell a parent or young person who is interested in getting started
cycling? What made a difference to you? Q: If someone wants
to support you in your MACC Fund Ride, how can they reach you?
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Q:
What happened when you were going through the illness with your
son?
Q:
Have you made friends through cycling and do you follow the races
now? Which ones? 
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