Off the Couch
In a quiet way, the thousands of people who run, bike, hike, ski and paddle make a lot of noise in Wisconsin
Milwaukee Bicycle Works hosts bike sale, rider training in Washington Park
If you envision a farmer's market for bicyclists, then you have a good mental picture of the Bike Blitz organized by the Milwaukee Bicycle Works in Washington Park on Saturday morning.
From 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will be repairing and selling bikes and teaching young pedalers the rules for safe riding.
Bellin Run expecting Jenny Crain, record field
Organizers of the largest running race in the state expect the number of participants to top 20,000 for the 35th annual Bellin Run in Green Bay on June 11.
The 10K ranked as the 28th largest race in the country in 2009, based on the number of timed finishers. It was the 8th largest 10K.
Milwaukee triathlete plots "Escape from Alcatraz"
In her first Off the Couch contribution, Brooke McEwen offers a profile of Andy Landgraf and the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco.
Madison police recover SUV driven in hit-and-run that injured bicyclist
Madison police have recovered the Dodge Durango involved in a hit-and-run with a bicyclist on Tuesday, but the driver remains at large, according to police spokesman Joel DeSpain.
The biker, a 23-year-old woman, suffered severe injuries to her lower body when the driver first hit her, then dragged her for some distance on Whitney Way, just off the west Beltline Highway.
Commute on Hank Aaron State Trail opens Tales from the Road
As part of Bike to Work Week in Milwaukee, Off the Couch will feature your Tales from the Road: the stories and sights you find on your ride to the job, grocery store or play-date. We'll need your contributions - so send them to theld@journalsentinel.com, along with a bit of background about yourself.
Keep in mind that they should read like a trip to the office, not a ride across the country.
Five questions with a Girl on the Run
As I wrote in today's feature about the Girls on the Run, they have the best 5K training program I've ever examined.
The fun greatly exceeds the weekly mileage.
Soglin cancels September Ride the Drive in Madison
Citing the impact on businesses, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin has canceled the second of two Ride the Drive festivals in the city.
The Ride, scheduled for Sunday, will go on as scheduled, allowing walkers, bicyclists and others to tour city streets free of motor vehicles. The layout forms roughly six miles of streets closed to traffic.
City officials push for bicycle, pedestrian access on Hoan Bridge
Ald. Nik Kovac and City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux made a pitch for bike and pedestrian access to the Hoan Bridge at a meeting of the Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee on Wednesday.
Reporter Tom Daykin included the access issue in his write-up on the meeting.
Bike collection goes corporate
The used bike collection business in Milwaukee has gone corporate, right up to the CEO level.
Four local companies have combined to organize the CEOs for Cyclists program, a drive to collect used bicycles to be refurbished and resold through the DreamBikes shop, 2021 N. Martin Luther King Dr. The business employing teens opened in Milwaukee in April 2011.
Hoan Bridge closes Sunday morning for the Ride for the Arts
The Hoan Bridge will be closed to motor vehicles and opened to bicycles for the first time in decades on Sunday, when thousands of riders go over the span in the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will close roughly two miles of I-794 from 5:30 to 10 a.m. Motorists heading northbound are advised to exit at Howard Ave. and take I-94 into the Marquette Interchange and those driving southbound/east are advised to follow I-94.
Lake Country Trail paving completed
Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas will officially open a segment of the Lake Country Trail that has been repaved from Milwaukee Street to Glen Cove.
The first 70 children who turn out to ride through the ribbon with Vrakas Saturday morning will receive free bike helmets.
Ride for the Arts produces few off notes in its epic "Over the Hoan"
What’s 20 minutes after waiting decades?
Last-minute patches on the Hoan Bridge delayed the start of the Ride for the Arts about 20 minutes Sunday morning, and stretched the already worn patience of bicyclists anxious for the first legal opportunity to ride the span in nearly 30 years.
Ride the Drive draws Soglin and 20,000; more notes from UPAF
Cyclists in Milwaukee had their day on the Hoan Bridge, and 20,000 in Madison had six miles of city streets in the third year of Ride the Drive.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Mayor Paul Soglin drew a mixed reaction while he participated in the event, days after he sparked a debate by canceling a second Ride the Drive scheduled for September.
Crash victim was riding motorized mountain bike
A 53-year-old man found dead in the parking lot of the Landmark Credit Union Sunday morning suffered severe head injuries when he crashed a motorized mountain bike, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s report.
Two passers-by found Gerald Faken straddling the handle bars of a Mongoose bike outfitted with a 36-volt electric motor. He apparently crashed into a cement wall in the parking lot, 9515 W. National Ave.
Trek's president calls bicycling a "cheap date"
Timed conveniently to fit into Bike to Work Week, today's business Q&A featured John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle Corp.
In the interview with Journal Sentinel reporter Don Walker, Burke made the point that building infrastructure for bicyclists is a "cheap date." By that, he means a price-smart way to combat congestion on the freeways and expansion around our waists.
Barrett skips bike to work ride for White House State Dinner
Mayor Tom Barrett will be a no-show Tuesday morning for his annual bike ride to City Hall, part of the Bike to Work Week events in Milwaukee.
His excuse: a trip to the White House and a state dinner with President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The visit and dinner plans were announced in April.
Bike to Work Week tips from the author of 'Big Book of Bicycling'
It takes a good deal of pedaling, and editing, to bridge the gap between bicyclists who ride to the store for eggs and the Ironman triathletes who rides 100 miles and more on a Saturday morning.
The Big Book of Bicycling attempts to cover that ground with a comprehensive guide compiled from five years of stories from the magazine.
Hamstring injury disappoints Solinsky in Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic 10K proved to be a disappointment for Stevens Point native Chris Solinsky and track fans who had anticipated an epic battle between the American record holder and Galen Rupp.
It wasn't to be.
Madison City Council looks to cover nudity
The Madison version of the World Naked Bike Ride, scheduled for June 18, could be forced under cover.
According to this delicately worded story by Chris Rickert, the city council will try on an ordinance banning public nudity when it meets Tuesday night. Rickert reports that the ordinance has nothing to do with the trauma caused by the naked bicyclists last year, but found that the ride organizers are prepared to lobby in opposition.
Runners go after one more tonight in the "Wisco Mile"
Eric Lueck started the Wisco Mile in 2008 to give some of his track athletes at Wisconsin Lutheran High School one more chance to race after the WIAA state championships.
One more chance proved to be a popular prospect, and Lueck is expecting 250 competitors tonight in the fourth edition of the mile race on the track. Elite runners, high school runners, masters runners and grade school runners all get a shot against the clock and the competition.
Waukesha native makes it on the cover of Runner's World
The July issue of Runner's World Magazine, dedicated to outrunning cancer, features a cover photo of Waukesha native and Olympic hopeful Serena Ramsey Burla.
The 28-year-old ran for her coach/father on the state champion Waukesha West cross country teams, went on to become an All-American at the University of Missouri and recovered from synovial sarcoma to run the 2010 ING New York Marathon in two hours, 37 minutes and six seconds.
Bike to Work Week events: baseball and a ride with Abele
Bike to Work Week continues to roll in Wisconsin, and in conditions much better-suited for an active commute.
Today's activity organized by the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin is the Bike to the Brewers, a group ride from a couple locations to Miller Park and the contest against the New York Mets. Riders will depart from Mugshotz, 1902 S. 68th St., and the Alterra Foundry, 170 S. 1st St., at 5 p.m.
Summerfest Rock 'n Sole tops 5,000
More than 5,000 runners have signed up for the inaugural Summerfest Rock n' Sole, the half-marathon and 10K races over the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge on July 10.
The first running races to utilize the bridge in more than two decades have drawn entries from 42 states and seven countries, Summerfest officials announced Thursday morning. No official cap has been set on registration, which continues up to race day.
Muskego grad sets new mark in Wisco Mile
Keegan Calmes beat the rain, the field and the previous best in the fourth annual Wisco Mile on the Wisconsin Lutheran High School track Wednesday night.
Calmes ran a 4:08.78 n the men's open race to beat Jack Hackett (4:10.27) and Marcus Paulson (4:13.48).
Scherer returns as a pro to race the Bellin Run
Jenny Scherer’s pursuit of a dream - to run professionally - has led her on an athletic odyssey home.
She returns to her Wisconsin stomping grounds to compete Saturday in Green Bay’s 35th annual Bellin Run, one of the largest and most competitive races in the state.
Bike to Work Week bonus: Free bikes for Badger Alloys workers
Dozens of Badger Alloys Inc. workers will receive free bikes, helmets and locks Friday morning as a reward for their participation in a recently started company wellness program.
Ninety-nine employees enrolled in the wellness program, which included a complete health assessment. They were offered $100 in cash or a bike package from Wheel & Sprocket. More than 70 chose the bikes.
Bike to Work ride with Abele cancelled due to rain
Organizers of the Bike to Work event with County Executive Chris Abele decided to stay dry this morning, and cancelled the ride to the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
The news conference scheduled at the finish line also has been called off.
Bike lane crash video rolls to national sensation
Casey Neistat's ticket for NOT biking in the bike lane cost him $50.
The video he produced to protest the fine has earned him a fortune in fame.
Updated: State crews work to re-open trails closed by storm damage
Crews with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources cleared debris and re-opened the Badger State Trail Friday afternoon, and continued to work on the Sugar River and Military Ridge Trails closed by storm damage.
Strong winds on Wednesday night blew tree branches onto the pathways and heavy rains washed out portions of the Military Ridge Trail, according to the DNR. All three trails are south and west of Madison.
Badger Alloys joins businesses in the bike lane
For employees of Badger Alloys, Bike to Work Week came to a close Friday with a give away of about 80 bikes.
Kenyans win in Bellin Run return for Jenny Crain and Jenny Scherer
The 2011 Bellin Run proved to be a race of sweet returns.
Jelliah Tinega returned to win a second straight women's title, in 32:34. Jenny Scherer returned to her home territory to race as a pro, and Elva Dryer and Jenny Crain returned to the race as champions. Dryer, the winner in 2004 and 2005, pushed Crain, her former rival, across the line in 43 minutes,
Milwaukee woman beats cerebral palsy in South Shore Duathlon
Straining up a steep hill, Danielle Kerr felt like throwing up with a mile left to run in the South Shore Duathlon.
Instead, she gathered herself and raced to the finish line of a dream she pursued for three years, if not a lifetime.
Escape from Alcatraz in review: "The devil designed this course."
I connected on Friday with local triathlete Andrew Landgraf, while he recovered from his outing in the Escape from Alcatraz race.
It's a destination triathlon and the local real estate manager made the most of the trip. He swam in the ocean, biked on the Great Highway and ran through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 27 miles in all and 3 hours, 28 minutes of exercise.
Chamber of Commerce, bike club put up money for Glacial River Trail
The Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce and a local bike club will foot the $19,000 bill for an extension of the Glacial River Trail, helping to fill a missing link for the path on an abandoned rail bed in Jefferson County.
According to the Daily Union, a chamber committee voted to contribute $5,000 for the work, adding to the $14,000 contributed by the bike club organized by the 2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor Shop.
Donut hole heist sets the pace in Fat Tire essay contest
Gary Crandall, founder and director of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, reminded me this morning that the deadline for the 50 ways to an entry contest is coming up fast: July 1.
Crandall judges essays, songs, poems, photos and films submitted by mountain bikers shut out in the race's lottery for entries. This year, about 600 registrations were sent back, setting the field for the competitive essay contest. Check out the rules and regulations here.
Hoan alternative: build up set to start on city's first raised bike lane
Construction will begin later this month on Milwaukee’s first raised bike lane, a section of pavement built up four inches above the traffic lane on Bay St., roughly from Beulah Brinton Park off E. Potter St. to the Wrought Washer plant at S. Lenox St.
The bike lane is part of a larger project to improve cycling between the Bay View neighborhood and Downtown Milwaukee, and the alternative picked by the Department of Transportation after it rejected proposals to install a bike path on the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge.
Tour of America's Dairyland opens with opportunity in Shorewood
Matthew Busche won the very first race in the Tour of America’s Dairyland series in June 2009, went on to join Team RadioShack a year later and won the USA Pro Road Race Championship last month.
Lakefront Marathon plans to honor MU grad killed in Texas
Lakefront Marathon organizers plan to honor Scott Birk, a Waukesha native who was registered to run the race in October but was killed Monday while training near his home in Austin, Texas.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Birk was hit by a Dodge Durango while attempting to cross a street. The vehicle reportedly had a green light and no charges are expected.
Driver arrested in crash that injured cyclists on night ride in Los Angeles
An alleged drunken driver and a group of cyclists riding in early-morning darkness collided on a street in Los Angeles, leaving roughly one dozen of the bikers injured; at least one critically.
News reports described the group of roughly 100 as the Midnight Ridazz.
Reporting, or hyping, the deadly danger of marathons
A headline asking if a marathon is the quickest way to a heart attack caught my attention when it popped up on a friend's Facebook page.
I followed the link to the piece by Dr. Joseph Mercola, an popular author who maintains a web site promoting natural health information.
Milwaukee River Marathon replaces RiverSplash festival
Three years removed from the drunken brawl that doomed RiverSplash, Water St. businesses are launching a tranquil alternative.
The first Milwaukee River Marathon starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday from the boat launch in Estabrook Park and finishes five miles downstream at the Laacke & Joys docks off Water St. About 50 paddlers have signed up for the inaugural outing, and registration will be open Saturday morning until 10 a.m. at Bar Louie, 1114 N. Water St.
Trek rolls its bike-sharing system to Milwaukee
Trek Bicycle Corp. will put its B-cycle bike sharing system on display in Milwaukee on Thursday to show off the kiosks and operations it installed in Madison late last month.
Principals in the business have talked about expanding to Milwaukee, and Mayor Tom Barrett supports the project, with one key reservation. In February, he said the key to bringing B-cycle to Milwaukee would be securing federal grants or private contributions to pay for the city’s share of the costs, without tapping local property tax dollars.
Deal reached to bring another life to Telemark Resort
The sale of the Telemark Resort to a group planning to renovate and operate the historic home of the American Birkebeiner was finalized on Friday, principals in the deal confirmed.
Shuttered for much of the past year, the lodge reopened early this month as a training home for the Central Cross-Country Ski Association and guests visiting the area near the Chequamegon National Forest.
Tour of America's Dairyland: Cantwell, Van Gilder lead into Giro 'd Grafton
Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) and Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Australia) will be decked out in the yellow cow-print jerseys Saturday night, racing in the Giro 'd Grafton as leaders of the Tour of America's Dairyland.
Van Gilder took a three-woman sprint Friday in the Thiensville Extreme Ski and Bike Cycling Classic and Cantwell took a field sprint to secure his overall points edge. The winner in the men's race in Thiensville was Chad Hartley, the local rider who won the inaugural TOAD in 2009.
Tour of America's Dairyland: Van Gilder wins second straight, holds overall lead
Laura Van Gilder, with the wisdom gained from two decades of racing, found the finish line first Saturday night for her second staight win in the Tour of America's Dairyland.
The Mellow Mushroom rider followed the wheel of Kristen Lasasso in the sprint secured her overall lead in the USA Crits Championship Series and the Tour. The Giro d' Grafton served as the third race in the 11-race series, which moves to Waukesha for the Carl Zach Classic on Sunday.
Madison's naked bike ride: less skin, fewer tickets
Madison police ticketed just one of the participants in the city's version of the World Naked Bike Ride Saturday, standing on formality amid the bare display.
In 2010, police ticketed nine of the participants, but chose this year to step back, take in the spectacle and ticket one rider in a ceremonial gesture.
Schlitz Park prepares for biking pros and daily commuters
Pro and amateur bike racers will fill the streets around Schlitz Park on Tuesday, but renovations to the business park are intended to appeal to a slower group.
As part of a $30 million renovation, the Schlitz Park developers will add bike racks, a covered parking area and fitness centers for workers who ride to their jobs.
Marquette University's Dr. Smith finds the strategy for another ultra marathon record
Ultra marathon runner Carolyn Smith loves the purity and simplicity of self-propulsion, and she has it down to a science.
Earlier this month, the 46-year Marquette University medical director bested her own age group record for a 12-hour run in the FANS 12-Hour in Minnesota. Her 83 miles won not just her age group or division, but the race overall.
Tosa pro Matthew Busche will have to wait for his Tour de France debut
While the final selections have yet to be made, the latest reports say that Matthew Busche will not be riding for the Team RadioShack squad racing in the 2011 Tour de France.
Busche, in his second season as an elite UCI pro, turned in a strong performance in the Amgen Tour of California and beat veteran George Hincapie to win the USA Cycling Pro Road Championship.
Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Paddle unites sport and history
The Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Paddle continues this weekend at the confluence of history and sport.
The North East Wisconsin Paddlers and the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway partnered to organize the three-part water travel series, after a successful tour of the route in the summer of 2010. The heritage paddle picked up where it left off last year, and on Sunday, participants will complete the route Father Pere Marquette and explorer Louis Joliet’s followed through Wisconsin.
UnitedHealthCare exec lends cycling support from the sidelines
Wendy Arnone will be a somewhat frustrated spectator when members of the UnitedHealthCare Cycling team lead a Friday lunch ride to recognize DreamBikes and the CEOs for Cycling program.
The leader of the Wisconsin insurance firm broke her arm in a crash on Memorial Day and will be in a sling rather than a saddle. Despite the collision with a car near Pilgrim Road, she remains an enthusiastic cyclist and advocate for the sport.
Tour of America's Dairyland: Howe and Tivers take the cash; Van Gilder stays out front
With cash flying as fast as the racers, Isaac Howe grabbed the $6,000 Ben's Super Prime and Brett Tivers pocketed three other big lap prizes in the festive ISCorp Downer Classic in Milwaukee Saturday night.
Tivers, a school teacher from New Zealand, nailed three straight lap primes worth $2,200, then stayed out front to win the race for Team Garneau.
Wisconsin riders Huang, Schneider add national titles
While local cycling fans focused on the pro races at home, Sarah Huang and Skylar Schneider raced to five victories in the USA Cycling Junior National Championships, in Augusta, Ga.
Huang, from Kenosha, swept the road race, time trial and criterium races in the 15-16 group, in a three-day run that started on Wednesday. Riding for Nova Cycle Sports Foundation Inc., she built her collection of stars and stripes jerseys to seven, including wins in cyclo-cross and track racing.
On the map: Baraboo leaders plan stop on U.S. Bicycle Route
Parks and recreation planners in Baraboo are exploring a plan to turn an old pumphouse along the Baraboo River into a stop on the U.S. Bicycle Route System.
An interstate system for bicyclists, the USBS is being developed by the Adventure Cycling Association and state transportation departments. The Baraboo link would be part of the route from Madison to Reedsburg, according to the report from the Baraboo News Republic.
High-intensity training shows promise for heart attack recovery
Heart specialists have found positive results in ramped up rehab workouts for their patients, a group previously restricted to low-intensity, low-stress exercise.
Similar to high-intensity interval training in elite athletes, the short bouts of action at 85% to 95% of maximum heart rate improves oxygen uptake and use, according to the research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
B-cycle sets the stage for bike sharing in Milwaukee
The B-cycle preview last week earned glowing reviews from cycling advocates in Milwaukee and a prediction for a permanent engagement featuring the bike-sharing system.
Dave Schlabowske, the outgoing bike and pedestrian coordinator for the city, tested the system displayed at the Discovery World Museum and came away with this forecast:
Build-up for Lakefront Marathon starts Saturday
The free, weekly training sessions for runners building up to the Lakefront Marathon or other fall race start Saturday morning.
Organized by the Badgerland Striders, the training runs start with a six-mile loop along the lakefront and build up to 22 miles on Sept. 10, a few weeks before the Oct. 2 marathon from Grafton to Veteran's Park. The Striders provide water stations and the Aurora Sports Medicine Institute will have specialists available to talk about the training plans. The first run starts at 8 a.m., leaving from the Lake Park Pavilion, 3133 Newberry Blvd.
UWM alum reflects on her third-place run in Grandma's Marathon
Dot McMahan, a Hilbert, Wis., native running for the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, knocked three minutes off her previous marathon best and surged to a third-place finish in the highly competitive Grandma's Marathon earlier this month.
Two years after giving birth to her daughter, Elizabeth, McMahan found the right training mix and the right race to take another stride toward an Olympic run in 2012. She was eighth in the U.S. Marathon Trials in 2008, when she ran a 2:35:02.