What’s on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers? If you use bike trails in Iowa, you’ve probably noticed the multitude of people apparently training for the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), which starts one week from today. I hope the intense heat breaks before then. Stay safe and hydrated, cyclists, and remember to call out “rider up” or “passing on your left” when appropriate. I’ve seen some near-collisions with walkers or runners on the trails.
I still haven’t taken my bike out to ride the High Trestle Trail, but those who do should be aware that local police are reportedly issuing lots of tickets to bicyclists who don’t come to a full stop at every stop sign. One officer even ticketed a woman who did stop at a crossing, because he has a chip on his shoulder got the impression she wasn’t going to stop. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition reacted to that incident here.
Central Iowans, if you have an old bike that never gets used, consider donating it to the Des Moines Bike Collective. They will fix it up and either give it away or sell it at a reasonable price to someone in need. The Des Moines Bike Collective’s free valet bike parking at the downtown Des Moines farmers market is a great service as well, conveniently located near good Indian food, “Tacopacolypse” and herbal lemonade from Blue Gate Farm’s stand.
This is an open thread; All topics welcome.
4 Comments
Decorah
Just returned from a weekend in Decorah which included biking. The Decorah Parks and Recreations Dept has a neat trail around the community. I think it is about 12 miles. It runs along the river, goes past the DNR hatchery (the famous eagle nest is right across the street), some switchbacks are in place for a challenge, and a new section is under construction taking cyclists over the main drag by way of an attractive bridge. Kudos to this nice little community with a thriving downtown, lots of tourists and the home of Luther College. (Water was too low to canoe. Done that before and it is fun also.)
rockm Sun 15 Jul 6:09 PM
Sauk Rail Trail
Mrs. Cocinero and I go on morning walks sometimes on the trail around Swan Lake (not all the way around, but for a mile or two). It is the southern end of the Sauk Rail Trail – http://www.sauk-trail.com/ The trail is 33 miles long connecting Swan Lake State Park south of Carroll with Blackhawk Lake near Lake View. We encounter quite a few walkers, some runners, but rarely cyclists. There are lots of birds — the most red headed woodpeckers I’ve seen in years.
cocinero Mon 16 Jul 8:36 AM
you are lucky
Iowa doesn’t have too many “long” trails — this is one of the longer ones. In my experience, cyclists tend to favor long stretches like DSM-Jefferson or Wabash in SW IA. Even RT, a 60-mile stretch is nothing for most serious cyclists which may explain why you encounter mostly walkers/some runners. Even if you’re just very much a recreational rider at present, the time will come when you’ll want something more challenging.
albert Wed 18 Jul 2:25 PM
I think it's great
that people are bicycling more. It’s great exercise, plus it saves you gas money (unless you purchase a $3000 road bike, in which case, not so much in the short run)
However, as a driver, I believe that cyclists should be more aware of the rules of the road when they are biking on area streets.
Many times, I have seen cyclists ignore stop signs and traffic lights. Just today, I was driving 55 mph and was forced to slow down as two cyclists blatantly ran a red light, rather than waiting the 35 seconds for their light to turn green. Of course, I am willing to slow down, but this isn’t the point.
If you are cycling on the street (I’m not about to get in the “road or sidewalk” debate), you must follow traffic laws such as lights and stop signs. Cyclists shouldn’t be able to enjoy the benefits of riding the road, while simultaneously ignoring the rules of the road. Unfortunately, this is something we see far too often.
I think that cycle organizations have worked hard to make drivers more aware of cyclists on the road. However, they need to work just as diligently to remind riders of their responsibilities while sharing the road with drivers. The many cyclists that choose not to follow the law actually do more harm to the cyclist cause, as they further antagonize drivers who already are wary sharing the road with bikers.
ghbraves Wed 18 Jul 11:48 PM