Tag: biking

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My Other Pickup’s A Bike

By Lee Schoenbeck

Banana seats, motorcycle handlebars and losing the training wheels are rites of passage in South Dakota. In a land where our children roam free about our communities, the bike is the ticket to independence. It was that great invention that gave you speed and distance for the first time in your life. Cruising across town to visit a buddy, get to the pool, or drive by the cute girl’s house were now all within the realm of possibility. But somewhere around sweet 16 and the longed for driver’s license, the Schwinn Flyer was relegated to that back part of the garage that new found maturity had passed by. Or so I thought.

My Next Bike

I don’t know when the last bike was a part of my life, but I know how the current one came to be. We married in 1987 and that next spring, for my 30th birthday, my wife thought I needed a bike so we could go riding together. My Schwinn World Sport was state of the art and ready to rock. It came with those cool curved handlebars, two sets of brakes and 10 speeds. Life on two wheels couldn’t get any better. I think the Europeans were the inspiration for the touring bikes of that time period, which brings up one strange item. Those bikes had seats so hard that to find them comfortable only made sense if you compared them to life with two World Wars in your backyard. But Americans weren’t about to be accused of being soft in the rear, and so for a few decades that stuck too.

That bike is still my only bike, but it isn’t the oldest bike at our home. My wife got a Schwinn Traveler from her parents for her 16th birthday, and it’s still the bike she uses. I don’t know much about the economics of the bike business, but two bikes that are going strong after a combined 63 years sounds like a tough business to be in. I have heard rumors that the product has been improved through the years, but you can’t believe everything you hear.

Tour Dakota

A few years back, the Tour Dakota was doing a leg from De Smet to Watertown and a buddy asked me to join him. I dusted off the old steel Schwinn and was ready to tour. That was the beginning of the lesson.

He gave me a water bottle, which I couldn’t quite understand since we were only riding about 65 miles. You can do that in the pickup in an hour, without a water bottle. About half way through the tour I commented on not having opened the water bottle yet. My friend’s response? “This isn’t going to be good.” With about 15 miles to go, I experienced cramps that must be something like labor pains without the good ending. That day I learned a new respect for those people in the funny spandex pants. I also found out they are athletes, even if they look kind of odd in their funny gear, some of which I promptly went out and bought.

Equipment: It’s Function, Not Fashion

If you’re going to ride for more than a little bit, here are a few tips. Bike shorts are a must. I realize they look goofy, and at first they feel worse. It will be your first opportunity to get a feel for adult Depends. But if you are traveling any distance, you will soon sing the praises of the person that designed the well-placed padding. The next key item is the bike seat. Forget the Europeans, these babies now come with padding and well placed indentations. Bike gloves look like they were stolen from a homeless person, but again make the trip more comfortable. A good grip is a good thing. A water bottle that you can open with your teeth is another critical component.

There are these cool devices you can add to your handlebars that allow you to rest your arms and weight on them while cruising. For speed, you need to look at your feet and you have choices. Wear tennis shoes with no special bike gear and bring up the rear of the peloton forever or put on special shoes that clip you in like it’s the electric chair and hope you and your bike stay one with gravity. My preference — and this is old school — is option three: the toe basket things you can put your foot in and get out of just as easily if you and the rules of gravity have a conflict. The reason for all this foot attention is that being strapped into the pedal allows you to take advantage of the power of the pull on the upstroke.

Finally, but most importantly, is the helmet. Riding bike without a helmet is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute — great thrill, but eventually, splat.

Cycling aficionados surely have more and better explanations for the gear. I’m just saying there’s more to biking than a pretty paint job and tires filled with air.

Apparently somewhere between 1987 and the present, they came up with various featherweight materials from which to build bikes. You won’t see many of those good steel bikes around anymore. The serious bikers spend thousands on carbon or titanium bikes. Their bikes come with computers, speedometers and rear-view mirrors.

RASDAK

This spring Rep. Fred Deutsch asked me to join him on the Webster to Milbank leg of the Ride Across South Dakota (RASDAK), and this time I was ready for the 65 mile jaunt. The first thing was to carbo load. I don’t know if it matters, but my mind and body think it does. Also, drink lots of water, and hydrate through the whole trip (I’m not stupid. One trip through bike labor pains was enough for me).

The tour came off the Coteau at Whipple’s Hill, which is the Wilmot rest stop on I-29. Peddling up the final incline before going over the top is like reaching Heaven. I’m not sure of a view or a cycling experience than can match cresting the last hill and seeing three states stretched out in front of you as you start a 900-foot descent.

Now about that descent. Cycling gear isn’t exactly biker leathers. I’m now holding on for my life wondering what parts of me they’ll find if my tire blows. My eyes are glued to the road right in front of my tire, until I briefly look up to see Fred, pedaling his butt off trying to find the top end speed for his bike. At this point I’m thinking I need new friends. We survived the descent, and I learned that we hit 42 miles an hour, which means the ink spot would have been about a foot square if the tire blew. Some of these bikers clearly have a different mindset, or lack thereof.

New Law

RASDAK gave Fred and I an opportunity to see the new bike passing law in action. Because I volunteered to solve an impasse in a legislative committee, where Fred and I serve, I ended up drafting the new law that went into effect July 1. Fred and the cycling community shepherded it through the legislature, and apparently cyclists in the 5-7 zip code have the safest highway passing law on the books. Vehicles need to allow 3 feet when passing a cyclist in areas of 35 mph speed limits or less, and 6 feet if the speed limit is greater than 35 mph.

Potential For South Dakota

Cycling appears to have a good future in South Dakota. Our state manages 337 miles of trails, of which the Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills is the most famous (and a great ride). Many communities have constructed their own trails. Here in Watertown, the city has built over 20 miles of bike trails that follow the Big Sioux River in town, and loop around Lake Kampeska for a great work out.

RASDAK is annual event that treks across South Dakota from west to east, and is worth a week of your life next summer.

GET A BIKE And GRAB SOME FUN EXERCISE

Biking isn’t just for kids anymore. It’s an adult activity, without the hangover. Look for a friend or a trail near you and give it a go. You might get addicted and start buying all that fancy stuff to go with your inevitable biker shorts. I’m thinking about one of those cool rearview mirrors ….

Lee Schoenbeck grew up in Webster, practices law in Watertown, and is a freelance writer for the South Dakota Magazine website.

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Faces to the Falls

By Rebecca Johnson

I suspect many of us have driven the length of the state by car. You’ll have your chance to do that by bicycle this summer. The first annual Faces to the Falls ride is set for June 9-14, kicking off with a party in Hill City the evening of the 8th.

The tour covers an average of 81 miles per day with planned refueling stops at convenience stores or fundraisers held by local community groups. Kasey Abbott, Faces to the Falls president, says you need to eat quite a bit when you bike that far, though it is possible to gain weight.”You end up eating every 10 to 15 miles because you don’t want to turn down a church lady’s homemade pie,” he laughs.

Cyclists will overnight in Hill City, Hot Springs, Martin, Winner, Pickstown, and Freeman.”Our plan is to camp on high school football fields or soccer fields and use the high school showers,” says Abbott. He hopes participants will explore the communities they overnight in and gives suggestions for sightseeing on the ride’s website.

The Sioux Falls resident is organizing the ride along with Marilyn Zimmermann, Jodi Erickson and several volunteers. The group often discussed a statewide bike tour during their years biking the Argus Leader Tour De Kota. Tour De Kota’s switch from a 6-day tour of southeastern South Dakota to a weekend tour of Sioux Falls provided the catalyst.

“Originally it was just going to be a few of us,” Abbot says,”but it just snowballed.” They set the participant limit for the inaugural ride at 100 riders. 80 have registered as of yet from as far as Wisconsin and Montana.

Registration is $150 if you register by April 15. The fee covers camping, luggage transport, pre-ride and post-ride party, and SAG support. I had to ask Abbott what SAG support was. It’s for those”sagging behind” because of mechanical or physical breakdown. Wind and heat can be a challenge, so there will be several cars following to make sure cyclists are doing OK.

The ride ends in Sioux Falls’ Falls Park with water, snacks and discussion on how to improve the ride for next year.”Mostly we’ll celebrate that we survived a 488 mile ride across the state of South Dakota!” Abbott says. For more details visit www.facestothefalls.com.

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Triple V Triathlon

By Rebecca Johnson

140 individuals and 17 relay teams conquered the 4th annual Triple V Triathlon last weekend in Yankton. The triathlon, named for the Latin phrase,”Veni, vidi, vici,” was started by Yankton locals Lynn Peterson and Dr. Lawrence Leon. Both had participated in several triathlons around the area.”We realized Yankton offers the perfect venue for this,” Peterson said.”We wanted to promote a great sport as well as all the benefits Yankton has to offer — the lake, river, beautiful bridges, historic downtown and campgrounds.”

My husband Jeremy participated in it as his first triathlon. He tried to talk me into doing it, too, but I’m not much of a swimmer and the chain doesn’t always stay on my bike. It’s definitely a hazard.

The race begins with a 1/4 mile swim in Lewis & Clark Lake near the marina. Athletes then bike over Gavins Point Dam, follow the Missouri River until they reach the Discovery Bridge, cross over the bridge to Yankton, and bike back to the transition area at the marina. The race ends with a 5k run on the bike trails along the lake. Approximately 25 volunteers help out along the course. I decided to participate by taking timing chips from the athletes at the finish line. It was fun greeting everyone at the end because a lot of them seemed very happy to see me.

Missouri River flooding didn’t affect the course, but Peterson said numbers were down for the first time in four years. The race directors fielded a lot of calls from people wondering how the water had been affected.”The South Dakota Parks Department did a great job informing us of water quality as they do daily tests,” said Peterson. There hadn’t been any tests showing the water was a hazard. My husband said he ran into some plant growth, but I think that sort of made it feel even more adventurous.

Yankton high school athlete Kipp Kinsley was the overall winner and Becky Youngberg from Eden Prairie, Minn., was the women’s top finisher. You can view a list of participants’ times at allsportcentral.com.

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Biking the High Country

Our mountains are friendly to bicyclists who plan ahead.

By Bernie Hunhoff
Photography by Stephen Gassman

Hairpin curves, low tunnels and the narrow roadway cause local travelers to avoid the Needles Highway, leaving it to bicyclists and other sightseers.

Mountains and bicycling don’t always go hand-in-hand. Many mountain ranges are too steep, too cold, too hot, too wild or too isolated for two-wheeling.

Black Hills biking is another story. Oh, you should give wide berth to the buffalo bulls in Custer State Park. Prickly pear cactus needles can puncture a tube. And you’ll want to watch for rattlesnakes in lower elevations. But those are rare occurrences. Bicyclists who have experience elsewhere seem to agree that the Black Hills may be the best kept secret in the pedaling world.

Joey Bonds and her husband, Eddie, came to Hill City six years ago so Joey could work as a summer tattoo artist. Most of her clients ride motorized bikes, but she and her husband love to explore the Black Hills on their mountain bikes. They did the same in Arizona, where Eddie ran a bicycle shop in the small city of Parker.

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Inquisitive and snack-happy burros welcome bicyclists to the wildlife loop in Custer State Park. The burros are harmless, but cyclists should give wide berth to the speedy buffalo.

“The scenery is awesome and the hills are so accessible,” she says.”Plus you can bike almost all year around. In Arizona it got too hot in the summer. My friends who bike here say there are usually a few days a month even in the middle of winter when you can go biking in the Black Hills.”

She says bicycling is safe on most public roads, but mountain bikers can also explore thousands of miles of trails — everything from maintained routes to old logging roads and fire trails.

The Bonds like the Black Hills so well that they opened a shop, Rabbit Bike, within a stone’s throw of the 110-mile Mickelson Trail in Hill City. They sell, repair and rent bicycles, and also provide guide services and shuttles for bikers. They’ve been splitting their time between Arizona and South Dakota, but they’ve sold the Parker bike shop and now plan to live and bike here year-around.

Their business success is part of an emerging biking culture in the Black Hills. Other bike shops are also opening, along with clubs and events that bring like-minded bikers together. The Black Hills Fat Tire Festival features spirited races for athletic mountain bikers every May. On the calmer side of the road, Black Hills Bicycling organizes group rides on paved roads that sometimes conclude with potluck dinners.

Jim and Glenna Books have started a”bicycle vacation company” called Dakota Bike Tours that arranges three, four and six-day excursions through the Black Hills — complete with shuttle service on steep inclines, overnights at campsites or bed & breakfasts, and the camaraderie of fellow biking enthusiasts. Some of their rides are ranked”easy to moderate,” while others — like the Iron Mountain Loop where bikers climb 700 feet in three miles — are quite challenging.

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The Black Hills’ network of low-traffic highways and off-road trails makes it friendly terrain for bicyclists.

Many weekend bikers can’t imagine pedaling up mountains, but Books says most inclines can be avoided.”Talk to the locals or use the Google elevation maps,” he advises.”We recently made a 42-mile trip and while we climbed about 1,600 feet in elevation, we dropped 3,550 feet in all.”

Books says he’s witnessing”an explosion” of the biking culture in western South Dakota. National tours are showing up, and local people are also discovering the joys of pedaling on-road and off. The Centennial Trail and the Mickelson Trail are off-road dream trips for bicyclists. Both are slightly more than 100 miles long and are maintained, mapped and equipped with trailheads and other amenities.

Books’ tours are often arranged around the Mickelson Trail that runs from Edgemont to Deadwood. His trips also include a”monuments” tour, a fall foliage ride, a Badlands loop and other scenic adventures on local roadways.

Tips From Bikers

Experienced bikers offer these suggestions for flatlanders who hope to pedal through the Black Hills:

  • Be prepared for the high elevations: you’ll have less lung capacity than you do back home. Drink lots of water and wear sunscreen.
  • Take a map or GPS if you explore backcountry forest trails because the routes don’t always go north and south.
  • Try to avoid busy roads like Hwy 385 or Hwy 16. The Black Hills are blessed with many secondary paved roads and scenic routes where speeds are limited to 35 mph.
  • Beware of buffalo, especially lone bulls in Custer State Park. You might also encounter cattle along the Mickelson Trail or Centennial Trail but they are seldom aggressive.
  • Mountain lion sightings are rare and no confrontations have been reported with bikers. But if you do see one, make a lot of noise and it will likely slink away.
  • Rattlesnakes may be encountered (though rarely) in lower elevations. Keep your distance and they’ll keep theirs.

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story is revised from the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order this back issue or to subscribe, call 800-456-5117.