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Indy using Mayors' Ride to Celebrate Connectivity, Red Carpet for Don and Robert
For Immediate release Contact: Mike McDowell 800-730-9021
July 21, 2004 Jo Lynn Garing (317) 327-3690 Indy using Mayors' Ride to Celebrate Connectivity Time: 11AM Date: July 23 Location: 16th St. and the Monon Trail, near Frank & Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park. In a park like setting, a little over ten miles from NBG Sponsor, Valley Bikes, along the cherished Monan Trail, officials from the city of Indianapolis will receive cyclists, local and long distance, as well as a man who will have rowed in from Columbus, with speeches and the release of the city's most comprehensive bike map to date. Detailing all 150 miles of on street bike routes in this sprawling city of 850, 000, since its buses are all outfitted with bike racks, these maps will also show where bike arterials intersect with bus routes. And as a perfect model for what we here at the National Bicycle Greenway foresee for an interconnected two wheel America, this important piece of cartography also shows where their bike rideable roads connect with the extensive Indy Greenways (indygreenways.org) network. Indianapolis officials, in 1989 a former City Councilman, Ray Irvin, now known as Mr. Greenway, wrote the business plan that began building Greenways in Indianapolis, have grown to treasure a trail network that, under Ray's guidance, has contributed greatly to the physical and financial health of a city once known only for its automobile speedway. At nearly three million unique visitor trips a year, they have sophisticated counting devices, Indy trails have greater attendance figures than all of its professional sports teams combined. This not to mention the fact that property values for those home along its trail corridors have greatly enriched city coffers with increased property tax dollars. In fact, their Greenway system is so successful that Rays is asked to speak about it all over the country and next year's National Mayor's conference, which Indianapolis is hosting, will make a much requested visit to the Greenway. Valley Bikes owner Mike McDowell, along with local cyclists, will join attorney and former Mayor Steve Shaw as well as Rowbike Rider and HiTech CEO, Victor Grinshtein, both of whom will have arrived from Monday's Cincinnati NBG Day. Victor's bike, called a Rowbike, has a seat that slides back and forth along a rail as you row to move the bike forward. Part of the Third Annual National Mayors' Ride which visits 42 Mayors this year, they will continue on to Chicago where this year's rally to call for an Indianapolis like America ends. More info at bikeroute.com. ======================================== On the other side of Chicago, as we approach it from the West, Don and Robert have been traveling in style as Don's faithful reporter, Faye Saunders, shows you below. And tomorrow, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie will ride them in to City Hall from the city limits for a barbecue and the proclamation presentation before he leads them on another bike ride to a trail dedication. Wow!! July 21, 9:00 pm On Tuesday morning when Don looked out on the day, it was so humid there was a blanket of thick warm fog. Robert and Don left the motel at 6:30 AM riding toward Perry. When they got to Shelby none of restaurants had opened yet. They found a bike trail and, even though they didn't know where it went, they took it anyway, because they like bike trails. When it ended, they were on a gravel road with a lot of ups and downs. There they met a dog who had just been swimming in the creek and managed to get Robert quite wet. The very friendly canine followed them for about three miles all the while drooling on Don's trailer and trying to climb up on his bike. Don seems to have a way with dogs. Once they got to the paved road, the dog stopped as though that was the end of his territory. The next town they hit, Elk Horn, is a Danish community which is home to the Danish Immigration Museum. Robert and Don enjoyed the Danish pastries they had at the restaurant where they stopped for lunch. They told some people outside the restaurant about the Mayors' Ride they were a part of and the locals told them that their Mayor had just driven by. They took Don and Robert to meet him, someone took Polaroid pictures, and a newspaper reporter even showed up and took a statement from Don. Perhaps we can add Elk Horn to the ride next year?? Kimbleton is another Danish community with a fountain of the Little Mermaid in the park and an imported windmill the locals there are quite proud of. Heading out on Hwy 44 Don and Robert passed through Guthrie Center and then Penora. They took the Racoon River Trail into Yale which followed the railroad tracks. On the hottest day in Iowa, these two gentlemen road 100 miles! A long day, they arrived in Perry at about 10:00 PM and went straight to the Hotel Pattee (http://www.hotelpattee.com). This is the nicest hotel in Iowa with different themed rooms. When Don told them about his journey, they decided he should have the RAGBRAI/BRR room. RAGBRAI is the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa which takes over the entire state for a week starting on Sunday and BRR is the Bike Ride to Rippey which goes from Perry to Rippey in February and, brrr, it's cold in Iowa in February. Don tells me he has never been in a room this nice. It was completely done in a bicycle decor with bedspreads with giant bike wheels on them, murals on the ceiling, lamps made of bike parts, pillows embroidered with bicycles, everything in the room had something to do with bicycles. There were statues enclosed in glass cases with light switches to illuminate them if he chose. It was a very high class place with a nice bathtub and fancy soaps. Rather than take a shower, Don chose to luxuriate in the bathtub instead. Needless to say, Don slept great. He woke up the next morning to the sound of thunder, opened the window and saw rain and lightning. The window opened up to a beautiful statue garden. Don enjoyed the continental breakfast of pina colata yogurt, pastries, and more for breakfast. By the time they were ready to ride, the storm had ended leaving everything clean and fresh. They headed east with the wind at their backs -- a first for Don's trip. He has had a headwind every day of his ride! He enjoyed the flat roads and they cruised along at a decent speed of 18 mph. They stopped for lunch in Madrid at a little restaurant. Robert had been talking about pork tenderloin sandwiches and the one at this restaurant was the best he'd ever had. Don, to honor his favorite reporter, ordered the Faye Burger which came with barbeque sauce and grilled onions and was, naturally, quite delicious. After lunch Don and Robert enjoyed a nice long bike trail which they rode for about 25 miles. It meandered past lakes populated with small boats. It also had lots of trees providing shade that kept it pretty cool, even though it was still quite humid. The trail took them right into Des Moines where they checked into The Cottage (http://www.thecottagedsm.com), a beautiful bed & breakfast offering them another complimentary room for the night. Don thought the hollyhocks in front offered a good first impression. After unhooking his trailer and leaving it at the B&B, he and Robert rode to the restaurant where Betsy works. The cook there has ridden RAGBRAI and may join them for the Mayor's reception tomorrow . They plan to meet the Mayor in a coffee shop and ride with him to the proclamation ceremony. Don looks forward to being able to ride with another mayor. He started his ride from San Jose, CA to Palo Alto, CA with Mayor Bob Orneleus of Arcata, CA. He thinks if he had any sort of vandalistic tendencies, he would get ..com stickers and put them on all the bikeroute signs he sees everywhere. Don says "Today was great and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. This is a lot of fun. I'm seeing a lot of Iowa and what a neat way to experience what's really here." |
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