Charmane Malone of The Current

Fans wait in line for this year's Gateway Classics, Sept. 18.

by Amy Lombardo
staff editor

A once-forgotten mode of transportation in St. Louis is making quite a comeback these days. Bicycles are popping up in places all over the area, including the UM-St. Louis campus. Witnesses have reported the rack in front of the Thomas Jefferson Library overflowing with bikes. Others have noticed a number of rebels chaining their rides to the nearest tree or pole.

According to the National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA), more than one in every three Americans owns a bicycle. They also say it is currently the most common form of transportation on college campuses. The message is ringing out loud and clearÑthe bikes are back in town.

This news flash is old hat to a select few local students who have known the benefits of biking-it for years. Tim Ranek, a senior in elementary education, is the president of the UM-St. Louis Cycling Team. The team is part of the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MCCC) which includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Back in 1989 when Ranek started the club at the University of Missouri-Columbia, there were only 14 Midwest schools participating. Today, there are 26.

Ranek has also noticed the recent escalated interest in cycling. He believes that this is partially due to more national coverage with the X-Games and Lance Armstrong's victory at the Tour de France.

"It used to be when I was in high school a million years ago, that I played soccer, baseball, basketball and that was about it," Ranek said. "Now, there's a lot more alternative sports out there."

The MCCC is part of the NCCA which works to promote, develop and regulate collegiate cycling across the country. The U.S. is divided into sections by geographical area, which compete against each other to determine the best in the region. Those winners then race for the national title.

The flyer for the UM-St. Louis team describes the levels as: Women A - Fast; Women B - 1st Year; Men A - Very Fast; Men B - Think they're fast; Men C - Know they're not fast.

"If it's your first year, you don't have to go and get killed and want to quit," Ranek said. "It's a good building-tool actually."

The UM-St. Louis team consists of 10 members, including one woman. The current season is fall mountain biking and next semester will be spring road racing.

Chris Neumann, a senior majoring in education, raced in his first collegiate race on Sept. 25. Although taking 19 hours and working part-time can make it difficult to fit riding into his schedule, he always finds the time.

"Mostly I like mountain biking just because it's a different strategy than road biking," Neumann said. "With mountain biking you have to be strong, but it's mostly how you finesse your bike and how you handle your bike."

He explains that the trails can have 'rhythm sections,' or stretches of ground with little bumps, rocks, sticks, and various other hazards. People that rail right through, called 'bashers,' just end up getting a flat.

The ultimate goal of the club is to expand membership in both male and female divisions, and develop other areas of cycling.

"We're looking for people at any skill level... There's a lot more that could be done with the team other than racing. We could organize group rides and stuff like that," Ranek said. "All it is, is a matter of getting awareness up on campus. From there it's kind of up to [the students] what they do with it."

The revival of the bicycle has spread across St. Louis. MetroLink installed racks on the trains to accommodate city-cyclists. This is a practical option for those campus commuters who are getting a little car-sick.

Metropolis is a non-profit organization trying to give down-town a face-lift through grassroots projects.

They created 'The Ride' over a year ago to help bring about awareness of bike safety and other related issues. The participants - ranging from numbers of 5 to 50 -ride a planned route that is designated for a future bike lane. The last Friday of each month, a group of people meet at Kiener PlazaÑrain or shineÑand pedal to Forest Park and back.

Carrie Zukoski, one of the Metropolis committee members that formed the program, is concerned about the safety of less-experienced riders.

"I know what it was like for me when I first started riding on the road. Cars are afraid of bikes, and bikes are more afraid of cars," Zukoski said. "I've noticed more and more that cyclists don't know what they're doing on the road. There needs to be some more education."

More information can be found via the Internet. The UM-St. Louis Cycling Team is under Student Organizations at www.umsl.edu and Metropolis has a website at www.mstl.org.