Tom Seest bares into the wind, riding tall over the frame of his Kona Sutra. He crosses the campus at SIUE on a warm Saturday, relishing the hills. When he bought the bike, he switched out the factory components in favor of mountain bike gears. Loaded panniers lay across a rack behind his seat and across the handlebars. He has toured with more than 70 pounds of gear strapped to that bike. A little extra weight on his bicycle does not bother him. In April of 2011, Tom Seest weighed more than 500 pounds.
As a young man, Tom enjoyed riding. He lived in Chicago with his wife Martha, he rode regularly. After a fall down a flight of stairs in 1998, he sustained a back injury. The pain persisted and he moved less and less. Working as a software developer, he was getting very busy at the same time. While working 80 to 90 hour weeks, he was sedentary at his desk and the weight started piling on.
“I was ‘fat-fit’,” says Tom. “When you’re getting heavy, especially when you’re busy, you don’t know what’s happening to you.”
Tom and Martha moved back to Edwardsville to start a family. He worked at Lambert Airport during its expansion in the early 2000s. His boss would pay him to stop at Krispy Kreme on the way into the office to pick up donuts. On this same commute, he regularly passed a Jenny Craig diet center. One day, out of curiosity, he stopped in. He says he didn’t want to lose any weight, but wanted to see exactly where he stood. When the meter pushed past 500, the scale registered an error.
“I knew that I was significantly heavier than other people,” Tom says. “But there were not enough physical symptoms to make me change.” He could still function working at a desk, and so he plodded on.
He began doing work for a grain storage company in Assumption, Illinois, and had to drive an hour and forty-five minutes each way. Returning home in the evening, he could not even take off his own shoes. His knees were on fire from constriction during the long commute. His children started peeling off his socks and shoes for him and he a had his wake up call.
“It was a phenomenal emotional battle to get off of the couch,” he explains.
He likens preparing to take a walk outside as a large man to covering an outdoor grill. It took 20 minutes just to get ready for a walk. His body tingled and he had all of the neuropathy associated with Type 2 diabetes. He started by walking.
“I didn’t care whether I lived or died, I just did the best I could adding steps,” he says.
He went on a Carnival Cruise with his son, determined that he was going to climb all of the steps on the ship. At every landing they took photographs and sent them back home to Martha.
“You have to give the spouse hope. There is a lot of emotional struggle and baggage because they’re taking care of you all the time. I couldn’t even do simple chores like changing a light bulb.”
By this point, Tom knew that he had to do more than just exercise. He started on the Atkins Diet. He packed a cooler full of diet shakes to take to work. The ice packs doubled as a salve, soothing his burning knees while he drove. He knew that he was making progress, but he still could not register any weight loss on a standard scale.
Just after New Year’s 2011, Tom got onto the scale and it finally registered 498 pounds. He decided that this was the year he would start riding again. He took his bike to The Cyclery and Fitness Center in Edwardsville to have it tuned up. On April 6, 2011, Tom Seest rode two miles on the Madison County Trails as a birthday gift to his wife. He told her that he would ride 20 before the end of the month. After eight attempts, Tom did just that.
“It was the love of riding that kept me going,” explains Tom.
In the first month, he blew out all of the spokes on his bike, so he upgraded to another. The spokes failed on that bike too. When the bike mechanics told him it would take a week to repair, Tom bought an identical one so he could keep riding. When it happened again, he bought a third. Tom rotated the bikes, two red and one white, through the bike shop and onto the Madison County Trails. When his rims gave out, he switched to cyclocross rims and he always carried extra seats in his bag, prepared for the next time one came loose from the post.
By the end of 2011, Tom rode 3800 miles on over 230 individual rides. He crossed the state of Washington, rode through Willamette Valley, and down the Pacific Coast Highway. He and his son cycled past a bank in Edwardsville that winter and the sign read eight degrees. He went on to complete over 6650 miles in 2012.
“I became what my kids call ‘useful daddy’, more helpful than I’d ever been in my marriage, but I was still heavy,” he says.
He explains that his diet took a bad turn. He started eating a lot of carbohydrates after listening to other riders. While maintaining 1800 calories a day, he ended up gaining 40 pounds that year. This was his first clue that something was wrong with his initial attitude about weight loss; you simply burn more calories than you take in.
“I decided that he was going to figure this nutrition thing out, ” he says. He learned about the Keto Diet while listening to podcasts on the MCT Trails. Ketosis is a metabolic process that occurs when the body does not have enough glucose. Stored fats are broken down for energy. Tom figured out that by eliminating carbohydrates, his body would start to burn existing fat.
“My body is eating the twinkies I ate 20 years ago,” Tom quips, and grabs his belly. “I have plenty of fuel.”
He started ‘fast-riding’ after hearing about other endurance athletes on the Keto diet. The last time he was in Oregon on business, he did a 21-day protein-sparing fast. He claims that he has not been hungry since 2014 and sleeps only four to five hours a night with more energy than ever.
Tom tours frequently and you can often spot him on the MCT trails. He has ridden from Santa Barbara to Mexico, from the mouth of the Mississippi to Edwardsville, and from the Mississippi River to the Florida Keys. On October 15, Tom rode on 120 miles on Trailnet’s Magnificent Missouri Bike Ride and slept in a tent. The last time Tom was in a tent, he required a weight-bearing chair to get up off of the ground. He did not eat during the ride, nor for 58 hours beforehand.
“Cyclists are not intentionally intimidating, but the culture is,” he says.
Tom is not concerned with speed. He readily admits that he would be left behind on most group rides. He insists that there is a huge demand in this culture to get people back out on the trails. He really enjoys the social aspect of riding, but admits that it can be daunting.
“My perspective of the world was a couch for the last 15 years,” Tom says. He thinks that people need someone like him there as an example. There needs to be a mentality change and he believes he is the person to show them how it can be done.
For Tom the best part of cycling is the social aspect. “That’s what is saving biking”, he says. “It’s fun and it’s fitness. People are learning of opportunities because of social media and they’re getting off of their couches and getting active.”
In January, Tom is planning to go to Florida to ride the eastern seaboard with his son. “The best bucket list item you can have is a new bucket,” Tom ventures.
He would like to ride the TransAmerica Bike Trail from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. Meanwhile, he rides when he can. He hosts up to 50 cyclists a year as they pass through on Route 66. He offers a warm shower and lets them sleep in an airconditioned RV at his house. Martha cooks meals and Tom takes them to Ted Drewes for a frozen Concrete. An overnight at his house is now coveted by cyclists from across the country.
The results from his diet and his ride-fasting have earned him something of a following. Tom is a frequent guest on podcasts now and he has a network of people that he stays connected with through social media. New research is being conducted to see how the Keto Diet might be used to treat epilepsy and even cancer. He is taking part in some of the studies and attending conferences across the country.
Tom takes a bicycle with him on cruises and rides when the ship is in port. Recently he was in Cozumel, Mexico during a torrential downpour. Tom was the only passenger to get off of the boat. Shopkeepers watched him from storefronts and he saw an armadillo float. Both of pedals were underwater, but Tom kept on rolling.
Louisiana Avenue is a busy residential street that runs along several south city parks and connects to a variety of local businesses and neighborhood schools. It is also a pilot site for the City of St. Louis’ Calm Streets Concept, an initiative funded by the Environmental Protection Agency to create a network of Calm Streets in the city. Calm Streets are residential streets where the use of traffic calming features, such as curb extensions and speed humps, are used to reduce vehicle speeds and make the street safer for people walking, biking and driving.
The block of Louisiana between Osage and Gasconade Streets was the site of a Calm Streets pop-up demonstration on Thursday, November 17. Staff members from the St. Louis City Street Department and Trailnet staff and volunteers installed temporary crosswalks, a roundabout, and other items designed to slow traffic speeds. The traffic calming features remained in place throughout the day while driving behaviors were observed and feedback was collected from community members.
Many respondents were enthusiastic about the traffic calming measures and how they would contribute to safety for everyone using the street. One resident acknowledged that we “definitely need something to slow traffic.” Two community members were supportive because “there are lots of kids on this street.” One resident stated that “if you have to put a speed hump every six feet, I’m all for it!”
We look forward to continuing our work with the community, with elected officials and with other project partners to realize the vision of a network of calmer safer residential streets. To read more about Trailnet’s Calm Streets Project, click here.
Swim Bike Run Supports Trailnet
Buy a Helmet and Support Trailnet!
Swim Bike Run supports Trailnet and our vision for St. Louis. Mention Trailnet when purchasing a MIPS enabled Scott helmet, and they will donate $10 from each sale to us. These aren’t just any helmet! MIPS is the very latest in safety technology and they come in a variety of cool styles, designs and colors. Check them out.
What St. Louis can learn from the Cultural Trail in Indianapolis
What St. Louis can learn from the Cultural Trail in Indianapolis
In November, several Trailnet staff members decided to visit Indianapolis on their own time to check out the Cultural Trail and see how protected bikeways and walkways could help St. Louis. When they got back to work, the staff members pulled together several lessons learned from their vacation.
Here are a few highlights of what they learned:
The Cultural Trail is really two trails- a parallel sidewalk and protected bikeway, with landscaping and raingardens separating the routes in places. In St. Louis we need to make sure our design includes enough space for separate walking and biking routes, raingardens, and benches, public art, or sidewalk cafes.
Designing for everyone really does get everyone out walking and biking- people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds were enjoying the trail on foot and on bike.
The Cultural Trail has spurred development- for St. Louis, we need to make sure affordability and land use policy are part of the planning process so that our infrastructure is for everyone.
The trail was designed to make safe walking and biking a priority; at minor streets the trail was elevated to make sure cars slowed down. At stop lights the trail was marked with artistic and reflective crosswalks. All over the trail, public art celebrated the joy of walking, bicycling, and exploring the community.
At night the trail is well lit with lights that are designed to illuminate the paths for people walking and biking. The distinctive lights along the trail make it easy to navigate and increase safety.
Trailnet is moving forward with the first phase of the Master Planning Process for the new vision by determining the process for public input and feedback. To ensure our vision reflects the needs of St. Louis, Trailnet will be reaching out to key stakeholders in the next year. Trailnet will create a vision for everyone by gathering community input in many ways and working with residents, institutions, and local governments to answer difficult questions. This process will help our region make the important decision of determining routes, funding, and governance to make our vision a reality.
Starting in 2017, Trailnet staff and volunteers will be attending public meetings, distributing surveys, forming committees, conducting stakeholder interviews, and more in order to reach everyone in St. Louis to develop our vision into a master plan for connecting St. Louis.
Stay tuned for invitations on how to get involved and ensure your voice is heard.
Ron Effland has worked for the Missouri Department of Transportation for over 25 years. In that time, his job roles have evolved and he has helped to spur an important evolution in the way the department thinks about transportation.
Trained as a civil engineer, Ron initially ran a district engineering department. After passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, his focus shifted to designing intersections that would allow for safe crossing by individuals with disabilities. For the last five years, Ron has served as the state’s “Non-Motorized Transportation Engineer,” or as Ron refers to himself, the “state bike-ped coordinator.” These state positions, created by the Federal Department of Transportation, are intended to serve as internal advocates for the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists.
Ron’s job involves writing statewide policies and procedures related to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, but more importantly, efforts to change the culture of transportation from one that has traditionally been exclusively about cars. Ron acknowledges that state transportation departments are not always enthusiastic about including bicyclists and pedestrians as a part of their responsibility.
“Somewhere along the way, transportation departments forgot to include people,” Ron said. “Our job is to give people options for how to get from place to place. If we are working on improvements to a downtown intersection, we have to realize that people might be in a car, but they could also be on foot, on a bike, in a wheelchair, or using public transit. We have to think about how the bus stop interacts with the crosswalk that interacts with the traffic signals. The challenge is to keep our eye on the big picture.”
One of the challenges Ron has faced is that transportation engineers often have a difficult time seeing important clues in that big picture.
“If you have a lot of traffic backups and delays and crashes, engineers understand that,” Ron said. “If you have a road with no sidewalk and there is a worn path in the grass next to the road, that means that there are pedestrians who have no safe place to walk and we should put a sidewalk there.”
Although Ron spends much of his time in offices in Springfield and Jefferson City, he also does a lot of outreach, some of his most creative and enjoyable work. To help his engineers understand the challenges of navigating with a disability, Ron procured a collection of wheelchairs and white canes.
“I take engineers out in the field and have them cross streets in a wheelchair or use a cane to feel their way along,” Ron said. “It really changes their perspective on what it is like to try and get around while dealing with a disability.”
To further his efforts on behalf of bicyclists, Ron applied for a grant several years ago to create his “Walk ‘n Roll” trailer. The twenty-four-foot trailer is filled with bikes of various sizes, parts, tools, helmets, cones and yield and stop signs. He uses the trailer in much the same way that he uses the wheelchairs.
“I put traffic engineers on bikes and show them what it’s like to negotiate roads and intersections on a bicycle,” Ron Said.
Ron recalls his personal experiences with bicycles while growing up: “I’ve been riding a bike forever. In the small town where I grew up that is how kids got around.” To share that experience with other children, Ron frequently takes his trailer on the road to provide biking opportunities and bike education for kids around the state.
For the last few years, Trailnet has worked with a number of St. Louis County elementary schools to put on Bike Weeks. These events provide opportunities for children to learn about bike handling skills, rules of the road, and proper fitting of bike helmets. Ron has been a valuable partner, contributing helmets, loaner bikes, and his skills as an educator.
“There is just nothing like seeing a kid’s face light up when you put them on a bicycle…and the great pride that they feel if they can get rid of their training wheels,” Ron said.
In October, Trailnet sponsored the first ever Bike Week at Froebel Literacy Academy in Dutchtown. With Ron’s help and his fleet of bicycles, over two hundred students received bike helmets and got a chance to practice biking through an obstacle course or to do some free riding around the playground.
Froebel’s Family and Community Specialist Von Smith said, “It was a great experience for our students to be able to ride ‘with the wind’ and receive a cool helmet for participating!” Many of the students asked if Trailnet would be coming back again the following week.
One of the highlights of Ron’s work with MoDOT is the completion of U.S. Bike Route 76 – The TransAmerica Bike Route through Missouri, the first U.S. Bike Route that was signed west of the Mississippi.
“At each turn there are three signs – a warning sign, a sign at the turn, and a confirmation after the turn,” Ron explained. “Every 10 miles you’ll also see a sign along the route. So as you go across the state, you don’t even need a map, although Bike Route 76 is printed on the back of our MoDOT maps now.”
We at Trailnet are grateful to have a strong voice at the state level looking out for the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists. For his part, Ron realizes the important role that groups like Trailnet play: “I’ve developed partnerships with all of the local advocacy organizations. My hope is that we can all work together to decide on what goals are most important and join forces to accomplish those goals.” Ron welcomes your input. If you have ideas, questions, suggestions or concerns that you would like to share, e-mail Ron at ronald.effland@modot.mo.gov
Benton Park West utilizes traffic calming lending library
Trailnet has created a traffic calming lending library. That means anyone can rent out equipment for creating pop-up traffic calming demonstrations to show the community what it looks like when streets are designed to slow traffic. On October 2, the Benton Park Neighborhood Association hosted one of these demonstrations with our materials.
The demonstration consisted of two mini-roundabouts and curb extensions with a temporary crosswalk. Although the weather was cloudy, local politicians turned out for the event and showed interest in reviewing the neighborhood feedback.
“Trailnet’s traffic calming lending library allowed our neighborhood to turn safety concerns into visible solutions for the future,” said BJ Kraiberg, vice president of the Benton Park Neighborhood Association. “Our pop-up demonstration facilitated a necessary dialogue between neighbors, elected officials, and city employees, which would not have been possible without the thoughtful guidance of Trailnet staff and the Slow Your Street How-To Guide. Turning to Trailnet has proven to be an indispensable first step as we work towards building a safer, more walkable neighborhood and city.”
The BPNA said their next steps are to collect survey data, speed data, and stop compliance data on a non-demonstration day, then compare notes with data taken day-of.
For more information on Trailnet’s traffic calming lending library, contact Grace Kyung at planning@trailnet.org.
For the last five years, Von Smith has served as Froebel Literacy Academy’s Family and Community Specialist, a role that he views as a “privilege and responsibility.” His position involves encouraging parental involvement, improving student attendance and achievement, and developing relationships with community groups and agencies.
Mr. Smith, crossing guard Wendy Campbell, and Trailnet staff member Ginny McDonald celebrate Froebel Walk to School Day, Halloween 2015
Mr. Smith is energetic and inventive in his efforts to develop partnerships between the school, its families, and its community. The most satisfying part of his job, he says, is “reaching out to parents in an effort to ensure students’ academic success.” His efforts to engage parents and families include “steak and egg breakfasts” for men in the community, using the school as a safe site for Halloween trick or treating, and starting a chess club for Froebel students.
Several years ago, Mr. Smith organized a Leadership Development Program for third through fifth grade students. Participants are selected by their classroom teachers and focus on four goals: improving communication skills, learning to collaborate, becoming better decision-makers, and volunteering in their community. Mr. Smith recruits a variety of community organizations to work with his Leadership students, and cites these efforts to make “lasting partnerships with the community” as another part of his job that he especially enjoys.
As one of the partners involved in the Leadership Program, Trailnet has worked with the students to disseminate information about pedestrian safety and to provide ways that students can act as advocates for their community.
Alderman Spencer speaks to Leadership students and Mr. Smith.
Highlights of last year’s program included enlisting Leadership students as volunteers during a traffic calming demonstration in the neighborhood, and a visit by alderman Cara Spencer. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of Ms. Spencer and to relay their concerns about neighborhood safety. One outcome of this exchange has been a commitment from Alderman Spencer to set aside funds for crosswalk improvements around the school.
For Mr. Smith, the chance to meet with an elected official was an exciting opportunity for his young students. “It was more than we could have hoped for…to give these young leaders a chance to speak directly with their alderman,” he said.
Beginning this week, Trailnet will launch a “Pace Car Program” at the school. Students will collaborate in writing a Pace Car pledge and recruit parents and staff members as Pace Car drivers. The Pace Cars will model safe driving behaviors for other motorists in the area, obeying all traffic signs and regulations. Mr. Smith has approached this new program with his typical enthusiasm. “It will be a great way to get parents involved, and maybe even other schools – this will make the whole community safer for everyone.”
Trailnet will also work with MoDOT and Froebel’s physical education staff to offer the first Bike Week at the school this fall. Students will learn about bike safety and get a chance to try out their bike handling skills.
Many of us at Trailnet have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Smith over the years. His interactions with his students are inspiring; he never misses a chance to take an ordinary exchange and turn it into a teachable moment. He is always receptive to novel ideas, and willing to do whatever it takes to provide new opportunities for the students. He displays a deep and genuine concern for his students and their families. One issue that he particularly worries about is the amount of violence in the neighborhood. Our hope is that programs that put more people out on the streets, walking, biking and looking out for each other will make the neighborhood safer for everyone.
Trailnet volunteers rock, and may have counted you in September
Did you happen to walk or bike past a suspicious person with a clipboard in early September? Were they looking at you and fastidiously scribbling mysterious information? Not to worry! That was likely one of our remarkable volunteers recording data on bicycle and pedestrian activity.
On September 13 and 14, Trailnet coordinated 122 volunteers to perform counts at 71 different locations across the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. This year saw a 44 percent increase in volunteer participation, accounting for 244 hours of volunteer service.
A lack of documentation of cyclists and pedestrians makes it difficult to measure the positive benefits of investments in these modes of transportation. The NBPD sets detailed standards and guidelines and provides tools for performing bicycle and pedestrian counts and surveys. This allows for a uniform method of accounting for walkers and cyclists across the country.
Locations for the counts are determined by a collaboration between Trailnet, Great Rivers Greenways (GRG), and the Gateway Bike Plan Working Group. The primary purpose is to find out how many people are walking or biking for transportation, although all pedestrians and cyclists are counted. All counts are performed on streets, even if there is an adjacent trail.
Trailnet compiles the data and shares it with GRG as well as regional governments, planning agencies, and key partners in the Gateway Bike Plan Working Group. The information is used to inform projects and educational efforts. It helps our advocacy in the region by providing data to lobby for better conditions and makes the case for advancing funding in infrastructure by local and national government agencies. We would like to thank all of those who volunteered for their time. Stay tuned for the results!
Wendy Campbell is an enthusiastic person who has “never met a stranger.” She is outgoing, generous, and thoroughly engaged in her community, the Dutchtown neighborhood of south St. Louis.
Wendy’s primary mode of transportation around Dutchtown and throughout the city is her bike; she says she “feels like a little kid again” every time she rides. And Wendy’s kids are often riding bikes right along with her. They all surely inspire others to get on two wheels for some good fun and real health benefits!
Wendy Campbell and Froebel student volunteers at Dutchtown Traffic Calming Demonstration
Wendy’s main focus in her work with Trailnet has been traffic safety. Before becoming a Walk Bike Ambassador, Wendy worked with Trailnet on a Safe Routes to School program at Froebel Literacy Academy, and promoted community awareness of traffic calming tools and benefits in Dutchtown and other city neighborhoods.
This summer Wendy knocked on many doors in the 20th ward of Dutchtown and talked about active transportation and traffic safety to hundreds of potential voters during her successful campaign for committeewoman in her ward.
Dutchtown benefits because Wendy Campbell is an active resident there, and Trailnet is well-represented by Wendy as a Walk Bike Ambassador.
Trailnet Champion: Tom Seest
