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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1972)
Book features trips The burgeoning growth of bicycle riders in the Eugene area and their questions about afternoon and day-long trips have resulted in a book by Ernie Drapela and Kevin Pratt with illustrations by James Cloutier. “Thirty Bike Hides in Lane County" presents a variety of excursions with informal notes on terrain, road conditions, mileage, points of interest and a detailed map The paper back book, which sells for $2.50, includes hints on deciding where to go, safety notes, what to take along and repair kits. All proceeds from the book will go toward the construction of a velodrome—a bicycle racing track—for Eugene. Authors of the publication are. Ernie Drapela, assistant director of Eugene Parks and Recreation Department, who is an avid cyclist and active promoter of touring, racing and recreation uses of bicycles. Kevin Pratt, who has enjoyed bicycle touring since his grade school days near Austin, Texas. Currently a University law student, Pratt said he wanted to share some of the many pleasant routes in the Eugene area with other cyclists. The publication has been distributed to local bike dealers in the area and is also available at many book stores. FREE 7 ozTUBE CREST TOOTHPASTE (1 per person with coupon 77c value) Visit over 40 Departments; all stocked with name brand, quality merchandise. i ash value I ?0th ot Ic f spu es 10 5 71 (CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AT 225 RIVER RD„ EUGENE] ATTENTION Off-Campus Students Students paying their own utility bills—that is, living off campus where utilities are not included in the rent—should make their own arrangements with EWEB for starting and stopping electric service. An order to start service saves the inconvenience of having your electricity turned off because the previous tenant ordered it stopped. An order to discontinue service saves the inconvenience of being billed tor service after you leave Eugene or move to another location in town. It's simple; do it by phone Remember • • . 1. Call and apply for service—when you move in. 2 Call and stop service—when you move out. 3 Notifying your landlord that you are moving in or out is not enough. You must notify EWEB! Eugene Water A Electric Board A Municipally Owned Utility Eugene, Oregon Phone M3-1*41 Office Hours: 8a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eugene is a bicycle town By DAVE HARMS Of the Emerald If you don’t know by now, Eugene is a bicycle town. There are an estimated 40,(XX) bikes in Eugene, an ever increasing number of bike facilities and programs and a city eager to advance the cause. The range of activities is from leisurely family rides to touring to racing to a cross country “cyclo cross" and almost everything in between. Facilities include several miles of existing bike paths and routes, with more miles in the planning stages. “Bike Route” signs are up, curb cuts are being included in new street construction, bike safety and licensing programs are planned and a “Bike Maintenance Workshop" is tentatively planned in the University's Physical Education Department. If you’re a bike rider, and you don’t want to compete with cars for space on the city streets, Eugene’s bike paths are for you. The existing path along the Willamette River extends from the edge of Springfield to the western edge of Skinner’s Butte Park The path is accessible to the University by using the footbridge adjacent to campus and con tinuing to Franklin Boulevard through the newly completed underpass under the railroad tracks. The next stage in the bike path system will be construction of a path from the University to the Westmoreland housing area, following 15th Ave. In the planning stages, pending local and federal funding, are proposed paths extending the present Willamette River shore paths to Valley River Center, and a path to parallel Franklin Boulevard in the campus area In many parts of Eugene, green and white "bike route" signs can be seen along streets. The signs are on routes frequented by cyclists, and give motorists warning there may be bike riders in the area Another aid to bike riders that has been in creasing in Eugene is curb cuts They have been included most recently in the extensive street construction in downtown Eugene this summer For tlx* person who likes to do his riding either out of town or on a race course, the opportunities are many Monday through Thursday, for instance, rides are planned for various distances for almost every category of rider The “tours," which will continue every week until the weather becomes unsuitable, include —Monday; a 26-mile (or less) family ride suitable for nearly anyone who can ride a bike. The ride starts at 6 p.m. and leaves from the intersection of Briggs Hill Road and Spencer Creek Road. —Tuesday; a 10-mile time trial is held over a flat course north of Coburg. The ride starts at 6 p.m. and allows riders to ride fast or slow and learn how lone it takes to ride 10 miles without the aid of other riders. —Wednesday; a 26-mile tour beginning at the same spot as the Monday family ride. The 6 p.m. ride is designed to see how fast the circuit can be completed. Slower riders are allowed up to a 20 minute head start. —Thursday ; for serious cyclers, a long ride over the 26-mile course, including interval training for conditioning, begins at 6 p.m. at Collins Cycle. Three of the biggest bicycle events of the year have been saved for the weekends. The nearest event is the Eugene Cycling Championship, slated for Sunday, Sept. 24, at Skinner’s Butte Park. The race is one of six races in the U.S. where points can be gained for the national championship. Riders from the U.S. and Canada, including some just back from the Olympics, will compete for $1200 in prizes. The event is sanctioned by the American Amateur Bicycle League of America, Inc., and includes races from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for all categories ranging from the boy’s “Sting Ray Race” to the ABL or a Senior Race. The second major event this fall is the second annual Cancer Society Bike-a-thon, to be held Saturday. Sept. 30. The ride is over an 80-mile loop course from Eugene to Coburg, Brownsville, Marcola and back to Eugene. Participants recruit sponsors to pledge a donation of a few cents for every mile riden. Last year, 1200 riders collected $10,000 for the local Cancer Society. It was billed as the largest bicycle event ever held in Lane County. The third event, the second annual Cyclo-Cro^^ will be held Sunday, Nov. 19 in Alton Baker Pafli The cyclo-cross features cross country races for Iff' ages, and involves riding and carrying a bike over rough terrain such as rocks and creeks. Other bike events include a ride tor new students on the bike paths during orientation week, and plans for a possible 100-mile-plus ride from Eugene to the Three Sisters Wilderness area, and a still tentative over night trip with the destination undecided. Not all the bicycle activities are happening on the streets and circuits of the area. This fall, the University and local community centers will be teaching interested persons how to take care of bikes and about touring and racing. The Westmoreland Community Center is offering a “Bike Maintenance Workshop” beginning Sept. 28. The course lasts for four weeks and meets on Thursday night from 7 to 10 p.m. The fee for the course is $4, and includes instruction in basic ad justment, repacking wheel bearings and fixing flat tires. According to Glyn Bissix of the center, the workshop will cover “the basic wants and needs of the class.” Another class being planned is a one-credit physical education class at the University, taught by Bissix, titled “Bike Touring and Racing.” The class is tentatively scheduled for winter and spring terms. One more item should be noted before riding off to the bike paths or to the races—a new city ordinance requires all bikes in Eugene to be licensed. Every person who rides a bike in Eugene purchase a $2 bike license and display the licens^rJ the bike. Persons not buying licenses are subject to a fine or loss of use of the bike. Persons can purchase the license at the h,ugene Finance Department or at any bike shop when a new bike is purchased. In order to be issued the license, the Finance Department needs the following information about the bike: the make and model of the bike, the frame size (the length of the tubular frame section from the seat to the sprocket) and the serial number. The Finance Department also recommends that the license be displayed on the frame section under the seat area, because it is a permanent, non-removeable part of the bike. One of the purposes of the bike licensing program is to aid in the recovery of lost or stolen bicycles. The Eugene Police Department has recovered many stolen bikes during the summer, but they face an unusual problem—the owners can’t be found According to the EPD, some of the recovered bikes were reported stolen as long as a year ago, but the person either left town or just gave up on getting the bike back. The department suggests that persons who reported a bike stolen, and did not list the bike serial number on the report, contact J & W Towing on V\ 2nd Avenue in Eugene to check on the bike. The police department needs either the bike’s serial number or an accurate description of the bike from the owner to release the bike. Bikes not claimed within 90 days are auctioned to the public by the city. For further information on bike facilities and bike programs in Eugene, persons can read the Parks and Recreation Department’s “Fall Program 19*2 or call the Eugene Parks and Recreation Depart ment at 342-5221, ext. 346, or Bissix at the West moreland Community Center at 345-0813.
