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Bike Wisconsin blog

Cycle on by the blog each week to keep up with activity around the shop as we gear up for more fun bike tours in the summer of 2010. We’ll keep you informed with developments about the new routes, new features for the coming tour season, insight into what this crazy job is all about, and plenty of fun, cycling related stories and articles.

2/18/10
All aboard for the SAGBRAW Express
For SAGBRAW 2010, riders will have the option to take an AMTRAK train to the start in Columbus.  All aboard!! These days, when the automobile seems to rule the roost, we can safely say that this is a bit of an anomaly – that the SAGBRAW Tour will kick off in a Wisconsin town where a passenger train actually stops to take on or drop off passengers. If you are so inclined, and you can pick up the Empire builder in Chicago or Minneapolis (or points further east or west) the train will get you to Columbus in time for registration. Check with AMTRAK for details on fares and what’s involved with stowing your bike.  The good folks there in Columbus guarantee a shuttle to pick up riders up at the station -  although they encourage everyone to contact the Columbus Mainstreet to confirm this (920-623-3699).
At one time, there was a healthy relationship between trains and bicycles. When train lines criss-crossed this country, it was easy to get to a train station and be on your merry way to New York, Chicago, St. Louis, or Kankakee. Train travel was the easiest way get from point A to point B.  Travel was relaxing and the railroads went out of their way to accommodate passengers and their luggage. When I was in my teens, on one of my many bicycle adventures, I hit the wall in Detroit, crashed at a YMCA, and took the train back to Chicago – stowing my bike on the baggage car. Speaking of bikes and trains, here’s a nifty little British Rail Film Board flick that documents a partnership between British Rail and cycle clubs in the 50’s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyz5d3entBw

Now doesn’t that look like a spot of fun! I’d love to train to a day ride, tool around in my knickers on my brevet cycle, stop for some tea and cakes, and then enjoy a glass of ale on my way back home the same evening.  A service from Toronto to Niagara Falls ran for four weekends last year with great success. Perhaps AMTRAK, in a effort to push eco-tourism, will explore some domestic train-to-bike routes.
http://ridethisbike.com/2008/01/riding-bike-train.html

Speaking of trains, we have had lots of talk around south-central Wisconsin regarding a high speed, intercity rail corridor opening up soon. The federal government has guaranteed funds to get it going and Governor Thompson and local leaders strongly support it. If we can get a local, in-Madison rail option on the table, connecting the metro bus and intercity rail at a common station… now we’d have a nifty situation! There are a few that oppose the plan, but it’s been proven that metropolitan areas that offer diverse transportation options – bus, bicycle, pedestrian, automotive, and rail - are more attractive and healthy places to live. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

In the meantime, think about taking the train to SAGBRAW. I guarantee you will arrive at the start, fresh and relaxed.

2/8/10
A Bikewisconsin Rider Brings a Little Creative Zing into our Day
During the winter, we get some registration forms sent in the old fashioned ‘snail mail’ method. Some folks still want to do things the old school way and that is just fine by us. We like getting mail and we like getting letters. There is nothing like opening an envelope – the careful rip of the fold, the poof of the folder, the surprise of what may be hiding inside.  Kids these days aren’t as oriented to the USPS as their elders. It’s a little like a telephone that is attached to the wall with a wire: some young people don’t know what to make of that, and with e-mail, receiving a letter in the letter box may go the way of vinyl records, VHS and cassette tapes, and telephone land lines.

But I digress! 

I just wanted to post a couple pictures of a piece of mail we received at our Post Office Box that reminds us of just how much Bikewisconsin bikers love biking and love our tours. Our friend Sharona took the time to adorn her mailing with such whimsy and fun that we had to honor her by posting pics of them right here in the BW blog. You can be sure that she had fun decorating the envelope and she is going to have a blast on SAGBRAW.  So thanks Sharona!  Your classy missive brought a smile to all the faces here at Bikewisconsin.

We look forward to seeing everyone on tour this summer… and keep the cards and letters coming ‘cause we love letters, we love letters… we love all kinds of letters!

1/20/10
Warming up to Winter and Hydrating Up North
Each day, I raise the window shades and I notice a little more light in the eastern sky. The earth, on it’s eternal circuit around the sun is spinning back in closer to old sol. That glowing orb is steadily creeping back north along the skyline. When I plow back across the city on my trusty two wheel commuter, I note a dull bronze smudge creeping into the western horizon. Stray beams of sunlight point up towards a waxing moon and the evening star.  The onslaught of heavy snow has let up.  Bike paths are about 98% clear of ice and packed snow. Last week I parked my dogged slow studded tire ice bike in favor of my smooth tire Takara commuter… and WHOA! I just picked up 4 MPH!

Everyday, as I crank by on my bike,  I weave through sleepy herds of iPodded university students. I count the ice fishing nuts – err, huts --  on Wingra Bay. At the south edge of Monona Terrace a large rectangular hole has been cut in the lake ice with chainsaws. You can only guess what that is for – an entry point for scuba divers who want to confirm that, indeed, there is no life on the bottom of Lake Monona. Here and there are sharp right turns where ice patches up and danger lies. Then it’s past noodle joints and Mexican restaurants where the delicious smell of sauteed garlic fills the air. Here is the tower on the power plant where a Peregrine falcon chick was born and learned to fly last summer; the smoke from the stacks provides a weather vane, informing me of wind direction.  Each day I pass more and more balaclava bound bicycle commuters… and I think there is hope!

Speaking of hope… what we need now is a bash, a kick out the jams to get us through the winter. This bike tour organizer needs some beer and snacks and surprises to get us past the first of February (hey, at least that month is SHORTER!)

So Papa Wheelie and the Big Wheel whipped up a gig at the Up North Bar here in Madison (514 Wilson St, in the Ruby Marie Hotel building, just next-door to the Essen House – kitty corner from Machinery Row Bicycles. Enter the bar off the parking lot in the back.  The date will be Thursday January 28th,  6PM til 8PM.  Stop by after work for free snacks, comradery, prize give-aways, good times and a few surprises. Stick around later for live music. Should be a fun-time.

Hope we met a few of you at the Cronometro SWAP this month at the Alliant Energy Center.  Walter and I had a blast getting out and touching base with new and old friends. We met a member of the Plymouth chamber, who promises to cook up some good times when SAGBRAW stops through in August. We also saw Don Michalski, the Dean of All Things HAM Radio in Wisconsin. We also took lots of names for the raffle. Some lucky person is going to win themselves a free tour. Woot!  The SWAP is always a wild cycling spectacle. Temps were well below zero in the morning, and the wind that blew through was cold. Always a good way to get back in the biking mood. And the acres of crusty bike components are a stitch to paw through – though I DID NOT find the 26.6MM seatpost with extra set back that I was hoping for.  Well, that’s what ebay is for I guess (har har).

11/20/09
What’s Goin’ on at Bikewisconsin
From June thru August, we run bike tours. That is, we actually get OUT on the road and run the tours. It’s hot, it’s frantic, it’s exhausting, and it’s a BLAST. Frequently, riders will approach me and ask me, “ so what do you?” and I say, ‘huh?’ And they say, ‘”like what else do you do… what’s your job?” And I smile and say… ‘well, this is my job… and it’s a Blast!’

It may seem simple enough but running three week long bike tours in the great state of Wisconsin IS a year round job. And just to give everyone a peek into our world, let me give you a brief snap shot of what Eric, Kathy, and Mark have been up to since August 8th.

After getting home from SAGBRAW, we all went to bed and didn’t get up for almost 3 days (okay, I exaggerate… but it sure felt like I coulda slept for 3 days!) Seriously, as soon as the dust settled, Eric started pouring over maps, remembering roads he passed over, and conjuring up ideas for the 2010 tours. He spent time reflecting on what worked and what didn’t work in 2009, and then began sketching out route ideas. Wisconsin road maps were then scribbled and drawn and re-drawn with highlighters and side notes. Telephone calls were made to cities across the state. And then plans were laid to make ‘scouting’ visits to towns that showed potential for new overnight locales along preliminary routes. I was dispatched twice to the Fox River Valley to check on a dozen possible sites. Eric and Kathy loaded the trailer up bike racks for towns and town groups that won the ‘best of’ contests. Knocking off two birds with one stone, they delivered the racks, commended the towns and groups,  and scoped out high schools, campuses, towns, and routes for potential overnight sites. These were often week-long forays into the woods of Wisconsin. After many visits and revisions of ideas, the routes are set and the contacts begin.

Eric spends his days contacting the schools and chambers of commerce in each town, coaching them through the details of an overnight stay for 500+ cyclists. Home Town handbooks (helpful guides for towns on how to host a bike tour) are mailed out to communities. “Point” persons in each town slowly come forward, ready to shepherd the process through to completion next summer. Soon motels options and local community groups will be contacted. The eNewsletter is set up, alerting riders that the new routes are almost ready and sign up is approaching. And then on to the National Bicycle Tour Directors Association convention in Portland Oregon. Can we do it all at once?

Mark has been busy, providing support (edit this doc, tote this barge, move this bale!)… anything to keep the process moving. But he’s been busy too, editing the tour videos. Using Adobe Premiere, I cut, paste, and stitch clips and stills into a pleasing 5-7 minute vignette of each tour. Generous riders have given their personal testimonies, and along with some original music (which gave me the opportunity to flex my long dormant musical skills!), we arrive at video heaven. To get the music right, I even took a DVD of the video home and did my best John Williams imitation… playing along ‘live’ to the video to sync the aural idea with the visual idea. The learning curve slowly leveled out.  I must say… it was a BLAST! And I hope everyone enjoys them.

Kathy has been VERY busy, closing out the details with the almost 200 volunteers that helped make the tours run as smoothly as they do. Surveys, feedback, transportation re-imbursement, awards and more… it’s a huge job. In addition to the volunteers, Kathy is one of the leaders in the Wisconsin ARES/RACES group. ARES/RACES is a network of HAM radio operators that are in place, able to assist in the event of any type of civilian emergency. You’ve seen them out on the routes – both cycling HAMS and HAM/SAGS in cars, trucks, and at each water stop. They make sure that emergency and non-emergency communication goes off without a hitch. You’ll be interested to know that each of the three cycle tours have been set up as ARES/RACES exercises to fine turn the process. Despite the excecise, I assure you that each of the HAMS has a great time on tour.  In addition to this, she is readying the online forms so that when registration starts, it will run smoothly.

Are we done? Hardly. We’ve hardly scratched the surface. We have sponsors to work on who will make YOUR tour even more fun (and delicious, and safe, and fun to wear, etc). We have Volunteers to line up. Registration to attend to, questions to answer…


10/16/09
Bike Wisconsin® Breaks into the Movies!
Yes, the trade magazines are a-buzz in the last couple weeks after the premiere of the new Bike Wisconsin GRABAAWR® video. Critics are raving about the great performances turned in by largely unknown actors in the role of cyclists “having too much fun on  GRABAAWR®!” The technical production, sound, and soundtrack are all being hailed as ‘good enough for YOUTUBE.

Seriously folks, we here at the Bike Wisconsin® headquarters are pleased as punch to offer you a video melange of good times from the Great Annual Bike Adventure along the Wisconsin River. Your intrepid reporter, videographer, and video editor, Mark aka “Papa Wheelie,” has had a whale of a time assembling the miles of video tape, mountains of still images, and tuneful tunes composed for the tour. Yes, he climbed a steep learning curve (steeper than Brokaw Hill), but he’s seen the top of the mountain and it’s all coming together now.

It was difficult condensing the footage into just a few hard-hitting minutes. It was even harder making decisions to leave some ‘rushes’ off the final product. It is a very enlightening process, assembling images into a cohesive and entertaining time line. We found ourselves laughing and smiling at early versions of the vid, and then when we came in the next day we’d realize the some more scenes would have to come off the final product. 

I hope you enjoy this first video. Keep tuned to the blog and the Bike Wisconsin Channel for upcoming videos from the Bike Northwoods and SAGBRAW® bike tours – plus more on other topics of interest.


9/22/09
The Bike Tour Off-Season
It all starts with a map and two bicycles…

When you think about it, the possibilities are endless! Pick up a map of Wisconsin; trace your finger over the roads that you’ve ridden or driven on in the past. Allow your memories to return to those rambling, rustic miles. Now let your mind wander over new roads and regions of the state that you’ve never seen. Notice how some by-ways are straight as an arrow (an ode to the rich, level farmlands that the midwest is famous for); other roads twist and turn as they define the hills and valleys. A mix of both make the route a tastier gumbo for the cyclist!

Here and there the map is colored, noting the boundaries of state and national forests. Elsewhere, the sky-blue of lakes – with names like Bass and Loon and Rice – dot the paper. Small, fast moving streams streak the state as well with names like Fox, Wolf, Brule, and, of course, the mighty Wisconsin. Pressing our land on two sides are the deep and powerful Lakes Michigan and Superior.  For the route master, this is the palette of adventure. Will it be a circle tour? Could a two-night layover be built into a route? Where should this year’s GRABAAWR begin? What local festivals will be scheduled on the same days that we are in their town? Are there schools and villages that are calling, eager to have us come back soon? Can we route riders past a few welcoming cheese factories? Or perhaps by an artisan brew house? Or a cooling ice cream shoppe? Or maybe over a string of tall, rolling hills… or perhaps by the largest ball of twine? Does that northwoods town have an historical society with hidden gems? Perhaps there is a first class polka band that will grace an evening with their jovial tunes for some good dancing? Or maybe we can find the best slice of pie for you.

These days we are traveling long miles, visiting potential host towns for over night accommodations – looking for just the right expanse of grass for comfort camping, a large gym for the indoor set, a cafeteria for relaxing in, and a few trees to provide a little shade on a hot Wisconsin afternoon. Once a rough route is worked out, the process of communicating with the towns, the chambers of commerce, the school districts, churches, businesses, and other local organizations begins in earnest.  Slowly we build the route, discover the towns, explore the byways, find the fun, so that when June arrives, all you will have to do is get on your bike, smile, and have a blast!
Keep tuned here for more details of the 2010 routes develop in the coming weeks.


9/14/09
First Entry
The summer of 2009 was a tremendous success for Bike Wisconsin® tours. Despite some early summer heat, GRABAAWR® was a ride to remember with bear sightings, miles of lupines, street dances, legendary hill climbs, fabulous food, fun, and old friends. Bike Northwoods Tour was blessed with autumn weather in July, and the first ever circle tour in the far north woods was nothing short of amazing. Scenic and nearly car-free roads combined with Lake Superior vistas and small town hospitality to make a tour to remember… and who could forget the Accordion Museum and World’s largest ball of twine!  SAGBRAW® topped off the summer with ideal wheelin’ weather. The Packer Hall of Fame, Door County cherries, glittering stretches of road along Lake Michigan’s shore, Great Lakes history, and some of the friendliest folks on two (or three!) wheels.

Running a  bike tour is both the hardest work and most fun I’ve ever had. After taking a few weeks to recharge, we are back at it, drawing up new routes and cranking out new fun ideas for cyclists in Wisconsin. Do bookmark the blog so you can keep up with all the happenings at Bike Wisconsin® this year.