Cyclists get leg up on season - Post Mayor's ride

Thu April 24 2008
Posted Apr 24, 2008
3,754

By LISA ROSSI REGISTER AMES BUREAU Some Iowans showed up on recumbent bikes. Some rode on newly shined retro one-speeds from eBay. And others simply pasted plastic flowers to their helmets. The Mayor's Annual Ride for Trails on Saturday attracted about 900 brave souls, who not only rode a 20- to 30-mile ride, but also did so with some style. The event, often the debut ride of the year for Des Moines-area bikers, raised money for area trails. In past years, the event has raised $18,000, organizers said. Last year, bikers basked in near 80-degree weather. Event weather Saturday reached the mid-40s, with a light misting of rain. It was enough to make hands and legs numb. But it wasn't enough to stop bikers Norm Charlton, 65, and Case Hegeman, 54. The longtime friends years ago all but ditched an amateur photography hobby to see real-life pictures of nature on Iowa's trails. "We don't enjoy roads," said Hegeman of Marshalltown. "We go on trails." Charlton, from Albion, said he is glad to donate money toward the cause of trails in Des Moines - a feature that often prompts him to travel away from his hometown. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said money from this year's ride will be used this summer to add new information and direction signs to trails throughout Des Moines, similar to those placed along Meredith Trail near Principal Park. Riders paid between $20 and $25 to participate. "The city is making the efforts to make Des Moines a bicycle city 12 months out of the year, not just the mayor's bike ride," Cownie said. He also said that by the end of the year, there will be a continuous trail from Jefferson through downtown Des Moines up to Big Creek State Park, near Polk City. He said the last segments of that trail will be built on the west side of Des Moines near Greenwood Park, and will be completed by late summer. Matt Walters, 45, of De Soto praised the event as a "good way to give back to Des Moines for trails." "They need to work on getting them connected so you don't have to be on roads," he said. Walters said he started biking in earnest about 20 years ago when his wife gave him a Huffy mountain bike for his birthday. He has branched out his Iowa rides to bike trips in Europe. This summer, he said he plans to go with friends on a ride in Vietnam. At the mayor's ride Saturday, Walters was with a team of five who rode single-speed, fat-tire bikes. The heavier bikes are more prone to falling over, and difficult on hills. "It's all the legs," Walters joked. Reporter Lisa Rossi can be reached at (515) 232-2383 or lrossi@dmreg.com