Cyclists

Good morning--Cyclists--Any chance this year's Tour de France could be a drug-free ride?

They scooted around 180-degree turns, leapt over railroad ties and raced through volleyball court sand pits that had been raked over to cause the most problems. And all of that was when the cyclists were off their bikes. Hundreds of cyclists and biking enthusiasts descended on Druid Hill Park yesterday for the third annual Charm City Cyclocross - an event that blends off-road bike racing with a series of obstacles that force riders to dismount and run with their bikes. With a tangle of red and yellow tape marking off the course, the route wound through the park and across dirt, pavement, a baseball field, grassy hills, sand and the bumpy roots of some gigantic trees.

Annapolis psychologist Tom Bach, 58, intends to cycle 3,000 miles from Seattle to Washington, D.C., next summer.So for him, the 11th Cycle Across Maryland bike tour, which runs Saturday through July 30, is a warm-up.Bach, who has cycled for 40 years, began training for the American Lung Association's 3,000-mile Big Ride two years ago, and each bike tour he pedals his modified lightweight Panasonic through is preparation for that cross-country ride."I keep short goals and start with small rides," he said.

Cyclists entitled to their place on area's roadwaysKevin Cowherd's column "Biker dude, move it over" (July 15) rants about a bicyclist who had the gall to actually ride on York Road. I want to show my support for that bicyclist and every bicyclist who attempts to navigate this area's roadways.Mr. Cowherd acknowledges the cyclist's legal right of way, but dismisses this because bikes are smaller than the cars with which they share the road. Might makes right -- that's a super philosophy; unfortunately it seems to be prevalent among area drivers.

Transit includes bicyclesAs The Sun's editorial "Clearing the air" (Dec. 4) noted, vehicle emissions are a critical issue in the Baltimore metropolitan area. While the solutions the editorial mentioned were noteworthy, it omitted one important option: providing citizens with an alternative to cars -- bicycling.Most city driving involves short trips. These cause the most pollution, because cars requires time to warm up before their emission controls become effective.Bicycling can offer city residents a clean transportation alternative.

JEREMIAH BISHOP finished second in a field of 27 cyclists in the last race of the Druid Hill Criterium Series.The race, held at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore Aug. 31, was sponsored by Chesapeake Wheelmen -- Maryland's oldest bicycle racing club. The club sponsors two races every Tuesday evening from May to Labor Day.Bishop, who lived in Ellicott City for two years, recently moved to Highland. In July, he was one of about 10 cyclists who went to Linwood Children's Center in Ellicott City to talk to the students about bicycles and bicycle safety as part of a program sponsored by the club.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Until last month, it was just another charmingly eccentric event in a city celebrated for its many eccentricities. Tonight, it could be a war in the streets.Every last Friday of the month for the past five years, thousands of bicyclists have gathered downtown to pedal en masse -- escorted by police -- into rush hour traffic. The ad hoc protest-cum-street party known as Critical Mass has been a mostly good-natured show of force, a reminder to inconvenienced motorists that they have to share city streets.

Focusing on a little-known problem, a new Johns Hopkins University study says that almost a third of the bicyclists killed in Maryland had been drinking alcohol, most to the point of being legally intoxicated.The research, which could apply to cycling nationally, also shows that 13 percent of the cyclists seriously injured in accidents were drunk.While drunken motorists have attracted intense public attention -- because of the carnage they create and their ability to harm the innocent -- the intoxicated bicyclist has largely escaped notice and scientific study.

HOT TUBS in a school parking lot? That's the plan for Wednesday at River Hill High School.Here's what they're for:On Saturday, cyclists ages 7 to 77 will begin the 1997 Cycle Across Maryland tour.Cyclists choose a 300-mile six-day tour or a 150-mile three-day tour, both beginning in Bowie.After traveling to LaPlata, stopping at Lusby overnight and for a day of rest on Monday, the group of more than 1,200 riders -- including Roger Rinker, pastor of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lisbon -- will head to Harwood and Clarksville.

When it comes to bicycles, Baltimore is an all-American city. Meaning that it has no bike lanes, discourages cyclists from boarding public transportation, and regards people who cycle to work as eccentric, underpowered impediments to high-speed acceleration.Never mind that most European cities, despite older and narrower streets, have found ways to accommodate the bicycle as a means of everyday transportation. The United States, with a few notable exceptions, relegates cyclists mostly to the woods and suburbs, unless one counts the helmeted breed of daredevil known as the bicycle messenger.

'Cycling Italy' Lonely Planet, $24.99: Italians have had a love-hate relationship with bicycles over the years. Cyclists were feared and condemned as being (take your pick) dangerous, a nuisance and, because women took to cycling immediately, a threat to traditional Italian life. The bicycle also was associated with juvenile delinquency (because bicycles could be used as vehicles for an easy escape). But attitudes have changed. The guidebook showcases the various opportunities for cycling in Italy, from coastal paths to the country's biggest and busiest cities.

Al Yergey crosses six traffic-choked highways on his bicycle commute to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, where he works as a chemist. The Clemens Crossing resident rides through the intersections of jammed thoroughfares like Georgia and Wisconsin avenues with the kind of confidence that comes with biking 2,500 miles a year. "I get my daily exercise for the price of going to work," said Yergey, who joked that though he's "well past retirement age" at 68, for three years he's been using his job as a good excuse for riding his bike half the year.

The death of John R. Yates this week is a reminder of the dangers bicyclists face not only on the streets of Baltimore but along most every thoroughfare and intersection where they must share the road with cars. The 67-year-old died after running into the rear wheels of a truck turning right from Maryland Avenue to Lafayette Avenue. It's not entirely clear who was at fault in the incident. (Running into a slow, right-turning vehicle is one of the more common bike collisions). The truck driver may not even have been aware of his presence, according to a city police spokesman.

At least football now flourishes Although I'm not much of a sports fan, I glanced at the stories about the anniversary of the Colts' departure and was struck by a line in Ken Murray's article "After the pain, closure" (March 29): "I was beat writer on the Colts for The Evening Sun then," he writes. That one sentence encapsulates just how long ago it all was. And I notice that 25 years later, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Cleveland all have flourishing football teams but Baltimore no longer has an evening newspaper.

Older readers may remember a much-missed magazine called the National Lampoon, which in its heyday put on its cover a picture of a cute puppy with a gun to its head and the caption: "If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog." Some people thought the cover was hilarious. Some thought it was tasteless. Others thought the editors really were going to murder the poor animal. So it goes, when in the course of lampooning attitudes toward bicyclists, one describes them as "obnoxious."

Like most cities, Baltimore offers urban cyclists a fairly limited range of parking options - a lonely metal stanchion outside a coffee shop, perhaps, or an innocuous group rack outside an office building. If it offers anything at all. But starting next spring, cyclists will have more choices in at least one part of town, the Station North arts and entertainment district. And Baltimore will have a new kind of sidewalk art, part of a national trend that is changing the landscape of cities large and small: the bike rack as public sculpture.

A nasal spray form of the annual flu shot can be given each year to children as young as 2, an advisory vaccine panel said yesterday. That's a change from current government advice, which recommends the FluMist spray only for healthy people ages 5 to 49. Traditional shots are still recommended for children younger than 5, but the nasal vaccine is an option for young children who may dread a shot with a needle. Recent studies have shown FluMist, made by Maryland-based MedImmune, to be safe and effective in kids as young as 2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use last month for that age group.

They scooted around 180-degree turns, leapt over railroad ties and raced through volleyball court sand pits that had been raked over to cause the most problems. And all of that was when the cyclists were off their bikes. Hundreds of cyclists and biking enthusiasts descended on Druid Hill Park yesterday for the third annual Charm City Cyclocross - an event that blends off-road bike racing with a series of obstacles that force riders to dismount and run with their bikes. With a tangle of red and yellow tape marking off the course, the route wound through the park and across dirt, pavement, a baseball field, grassy hills, sand and the bumpy roots of some gigantic trees.

Good morning--Cyclists--Any chance this year's Tour de France could be a drug-free ride?

Each time the cyclists raced by, Keston James leaned forward. The whoosh of the pack ruffled his shirt. "I like how the people just fly by," the 8-year-old said. "I'd like to ride like that." That's exactly the sort of thing Kyle Wamsley likes to hear. It wasn't too long ago that the second-year pro was in Keston's place, inspired by a training race to ride competitively. Now 26 and a member of the Colavita/Sutter Home team, Wamsley sprinted to a first-place finish yesterday in the Kelly Cup, the headline race at BikeJam 2006.