Pedalers for Progress to be on KARE 11 tonight

The Pedalers for Progress will be featured at 6:00 tonight on KARE 11. Please watch for the feature.

Click Here For A Link To The Text Version

Minneapolis Star Tribune Features Pedalers for Progress

Jim Foti (Road Guy) of the Star Tribune wrote a feature article that appeared in todays paper on page 9 of the front section of the newspaper. Foti talked to the Pedalers late last week and tells of some of the things the bikers discovered while in Portland. He also writes about some of the obstacles the P4P’s faced in their journey from Minneapolis to Oregon.

Go HERE for the article.

Portland at Last – The Augsburg Pedalers for Progress Reach their Destination

32 days after the Pedalers for Progress set out for their journey and some 2,000 mile later, the P4P”s rolled off Highway 26 and entered the Rose City on Division Street. The final day did not go quite according to the script, but the young men from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota were happy to be in Portland, Oregon nonetheless.

Reaching their destination, the Pedalers for Progress pose for a photo. Left to right are Tommy Schlaefer, Jake Quarstad, Michael Wethington and Nate White

On Sunday evening The Pedalers for Progress camped at Arlington, Oregon where the cyclist ran into some pretty ferocious winds as they  approached the Columbia River Canyon. The Pedalers struggled to keep their bikes on the road and decided to bed down in Arlington for the night. The Columbia River is said to be the capital of wind surfing in all of the United States. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph are not unusual. They figured the winds would die down during the night but instead the persistent gale force gusts kept them up much of the night, shredding one tent and nearly destroying another. With little sleep, finances that were dwindling and State of Oregon that had been much tougher to traverse than expected, the Pedalers for Progress accepted the help of Mary Jo Schlaefer.

Mary Jo is the sister-in-law to Tommy Schlaefer mother, Judy. Mary lives in Bend Oregon and offered to help. She rented a pick up truck and drove all the way to Arlington to rescue the Pedalers. She loaded up the bikes and gear and headed towards Portland and out of the howling winds of the Columbia River Valley into the dense forests of Mount Hood. Mary Jo is an avid biker herself as well as a world traveler, so she happily helped the boys and was able to share some stories. She said she was well amazed at the Pedalers accomplishments.

Mary Jo dropped the cyclist off at 3:30pm PT at a Rangers station in Zig-Zag down the West side of Mt. Hood on highway 26. The rest was up to the P4P’s.

With new inspiration and Mount Hood towering just miles to the Northeast, the young men kicked it into high gear and traveled some 50 miles in a matter of hours. By 5 p.m. pacific time, Jake Quarstad, Tommy Schlaefer, Nate White, and Michael Wethington were sending a GPS signal from Portland Oregon and the campus of Warner Pacific College. They eventually found their destination, Nate Whites uncle and aunt, Debrah and Adam who were letting the boys stay at his house for the night.

With the destination achieved, the Pedalers for Progress were more than happy — posing for some photos and breaking open a bottle of champagne to celebrate their mammoth accomplishment.  It was a moment to be remembered for a lifetime.

Tommy Schlaefer celebrates with champaign

With the arrival of the Pedalers for Progress, this writers job is pretty much done. The young men have much work to do now as they set up and meet with state and city legislatures as well as bike advocates in the town of Portland. I would also imagine there may be some celebrating to do as well as partaking in some of the Portland biking festivities. However, this is their story and I will let them tell it.
***
It’s been an honor to be part of this experience by keeping in touch with the travelers and helping you the readers stay in contact with this group of young men that I am so fiercely proud of.

Brian Quarstad

Getting off the bike feels good

Nate White hanging around in the trees and happy not to be sitting on a bike seat.

Father’s Day Update

Please go to Where We Are for a special Father’s Day update of the Augsburg Pedalers for Progress.

Resting on the Streets of Baker City Oregon

Bike Portland.org keeping up with new federal transportation bill released by MN Congressman Jim Oberstar on Thursday

Bike Portland.org is keeping tabs on the ongoing story of a new transportation bill that will be outlined on Thursday. According to Bike Portland.org, U.S. Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) is expected to release a white paper outlining his plans for the forthcoming re-write of the federal surface transportation bill (Oberstar is Chair of the House Infrastructure and Transportation Committee).

The current bill, passed in 2006 and known as SAFETEA-LU, will expire on September 30th. Many bicycle and sustainable transportation advocates are eager for a glimpse at what’s on Oberstar’s mind. They hope he makes good on the positive signals being sent from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, that this bill will chart a new course for America’s ailing transportation system.

LaHood has been talking up “livability” and “sustainable communities” for months now. In a blog post today, he outlined six “livability principles” that will guide how the Obama administration approaches transportation.

The #1 principle on that list? “Providing more transportation choices.”

“We have a window of opportunity to think differently about transportation and propose bold, new approaches to improve the livability of our nation’s communities.” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

Cyclists, motorists can co-exist: Kristin Armstrong, husband share safety advice

The Pedalers for Progress asked me to share an article they ran accross in an Idaho newspaper called The Idaho Statesmen. I can’t reprint it in it’s entirety so I ask you to go to the link to read the entire article. However, there are a few segments that I will share from Colleen LaMay’s article.

BY COLLEEN LAMAY – clamay@idahostatesman.com

The death of cyclist Kevin Pavlis along Hill Road last week doesn’t help, said Joe Savola, husband of Kristin Armstrong, gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“What he was doing is what we do on a daily basis,” Savola said. “We ride right by where he got hit.”

With three bicyclists killed in crashes with cars in the past month, Armstrong and Savola talked Tuesday to the Idaho Statesman about safety for bicyclists and motorists. They emphasized that they were making no judgments about what happened in the deadly wrecks or who was at fault.

“There are mistakes on both sides, but let’s have a little tolerance,” Savola said.
Motorists and bike riders alike can make mistakes on the road, but it is bicyclists who pay, not motorists in the wraparound armor of their cars. “The motorists are the ones that have the loaded gun,” Savola said.

10 TIPS FOR DRIVERS
1. Different but equal: In all states, cyclists are deemed by law to be drivers of vehicles and are entitled to the same rights on the road as motorists.

2. Patience, not patients: You may need to wait until it is safe to pass a bicycle. Don’t tailgate. In conditions where there is not enough room for cyclists to ride to the right, they are allowed to ride closer to the lane of traffic, and sometimes even in the traffic lane.

3. A passing grade: Don’t pass cyclists until you can see that it is safe to do so. Allow ample space between your vehicle and the bicycle. If you pass too close, the drag from your car can cause the rider to swerve out of control.

4. The right behavior: Watch out for cyclists when you turn right. A bicyclist may be to the right of you and planning to go straight at the same intersection. Do not speed ahead of bicyclists thinking you can negotiate the turn before they reach your car. Cyclists may be going faster than you think, and as you slow to turn, they could crash into the side of your vehicle.

5. To the left, to the left: Also look for cyclists when making a left-hand turn. Cyclists who are traveling straight through the same intersection from the opposite direction may be going faster than you realize.

6. A back-up plan: When backing out of your driveway, always look to see if someone is in your path.

7. Parking: After parallel parking, make sure the coast is clear for opening the car door to exit. Make sure there are no cyclists riding alongside your car or fast approaching. By using the rear view mirrors and by turning around, a driver can spot approaching cyclists and prevent disaster.

8. Respect: Cyclists help the environment with each revolution of their wheels by opting to ride rather than drive. Do not resent them.

9. Honking: If you need to honk your horn to alert cyclists that you are about pass, do so at a distance. Otherwise, the noise can cause cyclists to lose their bearings.

10. Try it, you’ll like it: If you can’t beat them, join them. Riding is good for you and good for your environment.

Source: http://yieldtolife.org

Idaho

Nate White bombing downhill to Whitebird at 40 mph or so. – photo and caption by Jake Quarstad

A Short Break Between Climbs

Photo of Michael Wethington taken by Jacob Quarstad

With the information I have, it looks as if the Pedalers have now logged 1,465 miles.