Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for July 9, 2007 AND...THEY'RE OFF!

From the Southern Illinoisan...

From Cairo to Chicago: Bicycle riders rest in Carbondale on first stop of six-day tour across state

By Adam Testa, The Southern

CARBONDALE - Rudy Kraemer had never been to Southern Illinois. The 45-year-old moved from Germany to Chicago about a year and a half ago.

He is riding in a Bicycle Illinois tour with about 30 other cyclists. The group, which is riding from Cairo to Chicago, ended its first-day ride Sunday in Carbondale.

"I think bike riding is a good opportunity to see the region," Kraemer said.

The Bicycle Illinois tour is a six-day, 500-mile ride from one end of the state to the other. Riders come across the country and have different backgrounds. Most of the cyclists don't know each other before the ride, but many form special bonds.

"It's like a family," said Bicycle Illinois employee Jonathan Zupkus.

After leaving Carbondale, the group will make nightly stops in Centralia, Effingham, Champaign, Kankakee and finally Chicago.

Tim Trine came from Michigan to participate in the ride. He formerly lived in Champaign and taught at the University of Illinois, and his wife did research in the Shawnee National Forest.

"They're familiar places, and I get the opportunity to come back and see them again," he said. Trine plans to visit with friends when he's in Champaign.

Earl and Nancy Polvi of Edinburg, Texas, also plan to visit with friends on the ride. Earl was born and raised in Chicago and has relatives in the Rockford area. The couple usually participates in one or two tours in a year. They plan to complete a tour in Utah in September.

"Where we live is almost flat," Earl said. "We're not used to this any more."

The trip from Cairo to Carbondale is the shortest one the group will make in one day - 65 miles. This portion of the trip has added difficulty because of the hills in the region, Kraemer said.

Zupkus said participants in the tour mostly do it for recreational purposes.

"It's really to have fun and do something healthy," he said.

Heat on the first day's ride became a problem for some riders. Kraemer said it stemmed from getting a late start. Rides usually begin at 6 a.m., but the riders had to be bussed from Carbondale to Cairo on Sunday morning, so they did not begin riding until about 8:30.

Unleashed dogs have caused other issues, Trine said. They don't try to attack, but they try to run out alongside and at the riders.

"The biggest problem is you don't want to hit them," he said. "They tend to like to dart in front of the bike."