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I Scream for Ice Cream

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We strongly believe a good July bike ride should end with ice cream. I Scream for Ice Cream is a good July bike ride.

 

This one is all about family fun. With new routes ranging from 10 to 51 miles along Madison County’s beautiful paved trail system, there’s something for everyone. Even on a hot day, the I Scream for Ice Cream ride is easygoing fun for all—and of course, since it is a good bike ride, it ends with ice cream, beer, food, and awesome sales at The Cyclery and Fitness Center in Edwardsville.

 

General Information

Ride Start Time: 8 am

Check-In Begins: 6:30 am

Start Location: The Cyclery – Edwardsville, IL

Routes Lengths (in miles): 10, 23, 34, 51

Terrain: Mostly Flat | Smooth pavement

 

Group Start

All riders will line up at 8 am and leave The Cyclery as a group. Edwardsville Police will be blocking traffic long enough for all riders to safely leave the start and enter the trail. Once riders have been escorted to the trail, they may ride at their own pace. The group start is not optional and is required by the City of Edwardsville.

 

Special thanks:

The Cyclery and Fitness Center for hosting us

– Rest Stop nutrition provided by GU Energy

 

Calhoun County, IL Passes New Bicycle Ordinance

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Trailnet Calhoun County Classic on July 31, 2021
Cyclists on a scenic Illinois road during Trailnet’s 2021 Calhoun County Classic

The Calhoun County, Illinois Board of Commissioners passed a new Bicycle Ordinance in April 2022.

Trailnet has been mapping beautiful bike routes through Calhoun County for 16 years. Calhoun is the third-least-populous county in the state of Illinois—a peninsula nestled between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers just North of St. Charles County, where scenic country roads wind through local peach orchards, past small towns, and along the river. In other words, Calhoun County is a cyclist’s dream.

Unfortunately, our most recent ride through the area—the 2021 Ride The Rivers Century last October—brought to light some of the county’s long-time struggles accomodating large events. When nearly 500 people on bicycles (equal to over 1/10 of the county’s population) rode off of a small ferry and onto county roads, some residents were overwhelmed.

When Trailnet caught wind of county residents’ grievances, we immediately reached out to representatives from the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners to open a dialog and try to make things right. 

Trailnet Rides Director Matt Hartman attended an initial council meeting on February 25, 2022. Since then, Trailnet staff have remained engaged in conversations with Calhoun County to make sure that cyclists and residents can operate safely and in a manner that is mutually beneficial for years to come. 

“Prior to our meetings, Calhoun County didn’t have any established event permitting or application processes. The County Board knew this was something they were lacking so we [Trailnet and Mike Weiss from Big Shark] offered to help define and establish some guidelines to assist them in creating one of their own,” said Hartman 

When we plan our rides, we work with cities and municipalities across the region to make sure we acquire necessary permits, collaborate with police and fire districts on our routes, create full safety plans, and track riders from start to finish via our TraQ Central app. Rides through Calhoun County should be no different. But with a small Sheriff’s department and a fully volunteer-based emergency medical staff, they do not have the capacity to provide the resources some other counties can. 

Additionally, in order to ride through this picturesque area, we have to send our riders down narrow roads with no markings, and as local constituents pointed out, we are often riding during their harvest—the busiest time of year in farming communities. Together we discussed how to keep our riders safe in these unique conditions.


Calhoun County Board of Commissioners and Trailnet Staff
Trailnet Rides Director Matt Hartman and Communications Coordinator Justin Seaton at the May 2022 Calhoun County Board of Commissioners meeting.

“The point of this ordinance is not to try to push riders away,” said Keisha Morris from the State’s Attorney’s Office. “It is intended to foster these relationships, improve communication, and make sure the community is well-prepared when large rides come through.”

Below you’ll find the most recent copy of the Bicycle Ordinance of Calhoun County, Illinois. Though we contributed our expertise to the drafting process, this final ordinance was written and ultimately passed by the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners in partnership with the State’s Attorney’s office.

“The new ordinance and permit process fulfill the requests of Calhoun County community leaders and allow more seamless communication between themselves and outside event organizers,” said Hartman.

With this partnership and these guidelines now in place, we look forward to more scenic rides through this gem of the St. Louis region!



For information or questions regarding the Calhoun County Bicycle Ordinance, contact Keisha Morris at the IL State’s Attorney’s office. keisha.morris@calhouncountyil.net or 618-576-9013


Trailnet trains twelve Walk Bike Ambassadors

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GroupCroppedTrailnet’s initial group of 12 Walk Bike Ambassadors are now trained advocates! Their day-long training on January 23 featured a variety of activities and speakers, including St. Louis Alderman Christine Ingrassia and St. Louis County Councilor Pat Dolan, who provided their views on effective advocacy. Richard VonGlahn of Missouri Jobs With Justice presented a two-hour “empowerment training,” outlining key elements of organizing people and campaigns.

The Ambassadors are developing their plans for the year, which will focus on at least one of Trailnet’s priority campaign issues. They will work in their respective communities to build relationships with key leaders and organize residents who are supportive of Trailnet’s work.

Bicycle Fun Club (BFC) Rides – Multiple Dates

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Bicycle Fun Club (BFC) Rides and Events: great volunteers assist before each ride by helping staff set up tables and tents, sell tickets, work registration, sell memberships, hand out maps and refreshments, answer general questions, and clean up. BFC volunteers ride free at the close of registration AND receive a free ride voucher for a regularly priced BFC ride of their choice!

To sign up for individual rides, click here.

2015 Bike Expo Vendors

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Trailnet’s Bike Expo includes a variety of vendors to peruse for the latest bike programs, events, groups, gear, and trinkets. Check out the list below! Vendor booths are still available, register today.

Alpha Brewing Company

Alpine Shop

American Diabetes Association

Belleville YMCA

Bicycle Illinois

Big BAM LLC

Big Poppi Bikes

Big Shark Bicycle Co.

Bike Recyclery

Bike Surgeon

Bluebird Cycles

Breese Bikes

Busted Chain

Chainspirations

Clean Bike Co.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Dogfish Apparel

FeCycles

Ferguson Bicycle Shop

Fist Care

FlatLander’s Mirrors

Gateway Off-Road Cyclists

Girl Trek

Great Rivers Greenway

Green BEAN Delivery

HealthSource Chiropractic Progressive Rehab & Wellness

Heritage Bicycles

Hodson’s Bay

International Christian Cycling Club

Isagenix

Jamis Bicycles

KATY Bike Rental

Klunk! Bicycles

LaBerta and Sons Cycles

League of Illinois Bicyclists

Lupus Foundation of America, Heartland Chapter

LuxLow

Manchester United Methodist Church – Bicycle Rehab Program

Maplewood Bicycle

Metro East Park and Recreations District

Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation

National MS Society

NRS

Old Bike Parts Online

Oz Cycles

Padre’s Cycle Inn

Pedego Electric Bikes of Edwardsville

PT’s Bicycle Shop/Squeaky Wheels Bicycle Shop

R and M Cyclery

Randy’s Recycled Cycles

Real Time Pain Relief

Recycled Cycles

Retro Image Apparel Two

Revolution Cycles

Ridge Prairie Trailhead Initiative/Tour de Stooges

Rob’s Portraits 

Shifan Race Wear Inc

Shiloh Chiropractic

Spa Sport

STL Biking

St. Louis Bicycle Works 

Team Backstoppers

Terrain Magazine

The Bike Factory

The Cyclery and Fitness Center

Trailblazer Bikes

Trek Bicycle Store of St. Louis – Ballwin

Underwood Chiropractic, LLC

Urban Tri Gear

Velo Traditions

Wilderness Voyageurs

Trailnet’s Ride the Rivers Century – September 21, 2014

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logo-5555Trailnet’s 10th Ride the Rivers Century was another outstanding success. More than 480 participants admired the scenic confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers at the new event location in beautiful Pere Marquette State Park. We had 46 amazing volunteers help assemble ride packets, set up registration, welcome riders at rest stops all along the route, and assist with teardown.

logo-5565Set-up began before sunrise at the Marina Pavilion where riders picked up their packets and sipped hot chocolate and coffee supplied by Mississippi Mud Coffee Roasters. Morning temperatures were in the upper 50s but the sky was clear and the sun was bright.

2014CenturyRS36With the new location, riders boarded the Brussels Ferry in the first mile and traversed the challenging hills of Calhoun County. The new location also offered a metric century option that crossed the eastern section of St. Charles County and rejoined the full “traditional” century after crossing the Clark Bridge into Alton, Illinois.

Atlogo-5502 the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, riders enjoyed buffet-style lunch and entertainment provided by Big Chief and the Smoke Signals. Riders faced their biggest challenge of the day along the Mississippi River Road – a 20mph headwind. This obstacle entitled riders to bragging rights at the finish and a much-deserved celebration.

DCIM101GOPROAt the after-party, hungry riders were in for a treat. Riders enjoyed a fresh fish dinner courtesy of master fish fryer Joe Beck. Beer was provided by Morgan Street Brewery and Noe & Diekemper entertained with live music. Dropping their wristband tabs in bins at each of the four rest stops, riders listened as winners were announced for prizes (two $100 gift certificates and two $125 entries to the Southern Illinois Fat Tire Festival) from our shop sponsor Bike Surgeon. As dusk approached, the day wrapped up welcoming the final riders to the party.

2014 Ride the Rivers Century was funded, in part, by The Great Rivers Greenway District and Missouri American Water and in partnership with Chipotle Mexican Grill, Morgan Street Brewery, and Hammer Nutrition.

Special thanks to photographer, Mark Schwigen.

Route 66 Ride Recap

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photo 1-3photo 5-1About 400 cyclists lucked out with a beautiful day for a bike ride. The temperature started off in the low 50s with clear blue skies and no wind. As a pre-ride warm-up, cyclists enjoyed Mississippi Mud coffee brewed and provided by Sacred Grounds in Edwardsville. Biking on roads that were once part of old Highway 66 and on sections of the Madison County Trails, cyclists viewed many original iconic Route 66 buildings. Cyclists on the long route had the opportunity to visit the Mother Jones Monument and a rest stop at the historic Soulsby’s Shell Station in Mount Olive. After the ride, the annual Route 66 Festival was just a short walk away in the Edwardsville City Park.