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DCBA ASKS FOR GRANT PROPOSALS FOR 2004
Wisconsin Have a bicycle project in mind that needs to be funded? The
Dane County Bicycle Association is currently seeking proposals from bicyclists, bike clubs and other organizations for its 2004 round of grants.
Every year, the foundation makes grants for various bicycle projects. While DCBA is located in Madison, it makes grants for bicycle projects throughout the state of Wisconsin. Funded projects have ranged from
youth bike safety clinics to community bike to workday events. In 2003, a total of $9,000 was awarded to organizations in Madison, Milwaukee and Dodgeville.
Information on the grant program can be obtained from DCBA President Susan Kavulich at 608/831 2643. Proposals are due by Jan. 31, 2004, and the grants will be awarded in February.
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THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT OPENING TWIN CITIES' FIRST CROSS COUNTRY SKI TRAIL WITH SNOW MAKING CAPABILITIES
Minnesota Three Rivers Park District began blowing snow Nov. 7 at
Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove to create the Twin Cities' first cross country ski trail with snow making capabilities. This trail also will be lighted for early morning and evening skiing.
Cross country skiing is one of the most popular winter pastimes in the Twin Cities area. According to a 1996 Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission report, nearly 30 percent of the Twin Cities
population has indicated an interest in cross country skiing.
The 2.5K cross country ski trail is one component of Elm Creek Park Reserve's winter recreation area, which is currently under development.
The winter recreation area will feature snow making equipment that will make it possible for the park district to maintain the cross country ski
trail, lighted tubing hill, and instructional downhill ski and snowboard area, regardless of snow conditions. Other winter recreation area amenities will include a winter lodge with a warming area, concessions,
merchandise, cross country ski and tube rental and restrooms.
The winter recreation area is being developed in two phases:
Phase I construction is scheduled for completion by late November to
early December 2003, barring any unforeseen weather or construction delays. Phase I construction includes the addition of snowmaking to the 2.5K lighted cross country ski trail and a 300 foot lighted tubing area
with a 12 to 15 percent grade and snow making capabilities. The tubing hill will not open for tubing until completion of Phase II construction.
However, the park district will attempt to blow snow onto the tubing hill so it may be used as a lighted sliding hill until the tubing hill facilities are completed in Phase II.
Phase II construction is scheduled for summer 2005, with a tentative completion date of winter 2005 2006. Phase II construction includes the addition of handlebar style towropes for the tubing area. In addition, a
300 by 400 foot long downhill ski and snowboard run will be made available for lessons. It also will feature snow making capabilities and a handlebar style towrope. Phase II construction also will include
construction of a winter lodge featuring a warming area, concessions, merchandise, cross country ski and tube rental, and restrooms.
Elm Creek Park Reserve is located at 13080 Territorial Road in Maple
Grove. Take County Road 81 northwest to Territorial Road. Turn right and follow to the park entrance.
For more information, call 763/559 9000 or visit www.threeriversparkdistrict.org.
Beginning this winter, cross country skiers ages 12 and older will be required to purchase a Three Rivers Park District cross country ski pass to cross country ski in Three Rivers Park District. The Three Rivers
Park District cross country ski pass costs $2 daily for park patrons, $4 daily for nonpatrons, and $40 annually for park patrons. The pass will
be required at all park district cross country skiing facilities, including the Hyland Ski and Snowboard area. Minnesota cross country ski passes
also are required to ski at Three Rivers Park District. Parking will be free at the winter recreation area from Dec. 1, 2003, through March 31, 2004.
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NORTHWOODS TO CAPITOL TOUR ANNOUNCES NEW ROUTE, NEW NAME
Wisconsin The Northwoods to Capitol Tour weeklong bicycle event has formally changed its name to the Bike Northwoods Tour. Why? The
tour's maiden voyage in 1999 originally went north to south from Superior to Madison. In the five years that followed, tour producers designed new routes that traveled in the opposite direction.
"Changing the name to Bike Northwoods Tour eliminates any confusion about which direction we're heading," says Eric Schramm, tour director. "It's still the same great small tour, just a new name."
Produced by Two Bicycles and a Map Ltd., this year's route looks like it will be fun and exciting! Organizers have found a unique and scenic
route up through the glacial hills, forests and shores of central and eastern Wisconsin. It all begins in Baraboo on June 19, 2004, then heads to Wautoma, Waupun, Kewaskum, Manitowoc, Algoma and
finishes in Sturgeon Bay with an extra layover day in Sturgeon Bay if you choose. The ride finishes on June 27, 2004.
"This year's tour is better an ever," says Eric Schramm. "The tour has
raised over $30,000 for bicycle advocacy."
Don't miss the fun. For more information, contact Two Bicycles and a Map Ltd., P.O. Box 3142, Madison, WI 53704; 608/244 6598; www.bikenorthwoods.com
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GRABAAWR AND SAGBRAW DATES, ROUTES ANNOUNCED
Wisconsin Bike Wisconsin has announced the dates and routes for Wisconsin's two biggest cross state tours in 2004.
The GReat Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River (GRABAAWR XIX) will be held June 26 through July 3 on a 480 mile route stretching between Eagle River and Prairie du Chien. In addition to
Eagle River, overnight cities include Minocqua, Merrill, Stevens Point, Adams Friendship, Sauk City and Richland Center. Daily mileage will average about 70 and the rider limit will be 1,000.
Sprocket's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Wisconsin (SAGBRAW XXVII) will be Aug. 1 7. The 310 mile route will go from Marinette to Port Washington north of Milwaukee, with overnights at Green Bay,
Sturgeon Bay, Algoma and Manitowoc. Included will be a day of cycling in northern Door County. Daily mileage will average about 50 and the rider limit will be 1,200.
For information, contact Bike Wisconsin toll free at 888/575 3640, e mail wisbike@mhtc.net or visit www.bikewisconsin.org
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CITY OF LAKES LOPPET SET FOR JAN. 30 31
Minnesota The 2004 City of Lakes Loppet promises to be even more exciting than the first year of the event. The Farmer's Almanac predicts a big snow year for Minneapolis and the Loppet is planning to capitalize
on it. Expanding on last year's event, organizers have decided to bring the Loppet into Minneapolis' Uptown area. Both neighbors and local businesses are excited.
Cindy Fitzpatrick of the Uptown Association predicts a great partnership with the event.
"Late January is typically a quiet time of year in Uptown but the Loppet
will change all of that. The Loppet will be the most exciting event to hit Uptown since the Metris Uptown Art Fair."
The 2003 Event Was A Huge Success
Last year the event was held entirely on Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles due to the lack of snow. But even with those poor conditions, the Loppet was a huge success. Skiers had to be turned away after the race
filled up. Over 100 kids turned out for the first Minne Loppet on Friday evening and over 750 skiers took to the course for the Family Tour and the 35K Loppet events on Saturday morning.
Mayor R.T. Rybak was among the participants.
"With my mayoral duties, I wasn't in the shape I wanted to be in, but this event is not about competition so much as enjoying Minneapolis'
wonderful urban winter," the mayor commented during a recent roller ski. "I wouldn't miss the Loppet."
The Minne Loppet Kids Event
This year organizers expect the crowds to more than double in size for the Friday night youth event. The Minnesota Youth Ski League has partnered with the Loppet organizers to plan the Minne Loppet Kids
Event on Friday evening, Jan. 30. This year there will be a few events for kids of different ages. Festivities began at 7 p.m. and all participants will receive a medal.
"This is an excellent way to introduce your children to cross country skiing or to have them show off the abilities they have already developed," says Marsh Jones of the Youth Ski League.
Organizers expect thousands of people to line the streets of Uptown to cheer on the kids and the elite sprinters that will follow. With throngs of
people cheering for the kids, they are bound to decide that skiing is the sport for them.
The Finn Sisu Sprints
Once the kids are done on Friday night, some of the country's best
skiers will compete for cash prizes in the Finn Sisu Sprints. Former Olympians will compete against up and comers like Chad Giese of Mora, Minnesota, and veteran great Jan Guenther of Long Lake. Giese
and Guenther won the Loppet last year and both are training hard to win again.
"I'm looking forward to the hills of the full course," says the 26 year old
Giese. "But all of the big boys from across the country will be coming for this year's event, so I'm going to need all the help I can get from the Minnesota fans."
The REI Family Tour
The Loppet's main events will take place on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 31. The REI Family Tour is the first event leaving Theodore Wirth Park at 9:30 a.m. Skiers in the tour enjoy the same basic course as the
regular Loppet: Theodore Wirth Park, the Chain of Lakes and a great finish in Uptown. The tour is designed for anyone who can put skis on their feet. Hills are minimal and the course is only about 10K (6 miles)
long.
Judy Nelson, who took her family out last year, was in tears as her kids crossed the finish line.
"There were so many cheers from the crowd, that even the skiers
started cheering us as they whizzed past," she says. "I was so proud of my children for sticking out their very first race of any kind that I had
tears running down my face. The kids want to race the big event next year! Now that's excitement!"
The 35 Kilometer Classical Race
After the REI Family Tour, the classic race starts at 9:45 a.m. The classic race is designed for those who want to ski with the traditional diagonal stride method for the full 35K. The Loppet is somewhat unique
in offering the classical folks their own start. Veteran classical skiers Bjorn Lasserud, 72, and Josie Nelson, 25, are looking forward to this unique format.
"This gives the classical folks a chance to enjoy Minneapolis' beautiful trails without the crowds of the freestyle race," Nelson said during a recent workout. "I can't wait!"
The 35 Kilometer Freestyle Race The Main Event
All the best skiers in the Midwest and across the nation will be at the start for the freestyle race. With the volume of participants expected,
skiers will go off in waves of 300.
Like the classical race, the freestyle event follows the challenging hills of Theodore Wirth Park before descending onto the Chain of Lakes and
finishing in Uptown. Competition at the top will be fierce as skiers battle for a free trip to the Holmenkolsmarsjen another urban ski marathon in Oslo, Norway.
But the Loppet is not just about the folks at the top. Skiers of all ages and abilities enjoy the beautiful course and the Loppet experience. In
fact, the median skier the one who finishes exactly in the middle will also receive a free trip to Norway. And Norway or not this event is designed so everybody has a great time.
The Finish In Uptown
Organizers expect thousands of people to line the streets and crowd the coffee shops of Uptown on Saturday morning. The first skiers will arrive
on Hennepin at approximately 10 a.m. starting a continuous train of skiers that will last until approximately 3 p.m. Dan Seeman, who spectated at last year's event, says that watching ski racing is "a blast.
The outfits are colorful and the skiing itself is fascinating to watch. Some of these folks will make the next Olympics and I will be able to say that I saw them ski in my hometown."
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, January 30, 2004
3 9 p.m. On site registration for the 2004 City of Lakes Loppet
Registered skiers pick up packets and bibs
Vendor Village in Calhoun Square
6 6:45 p.m. Kids event registration.
7 p.m. The Minne Loppet Kids Event.
7:30 p.m. Finn Sisu Sprints.
The Friday evening events will be headquartered in Calhoun Square,
with skiing on Hennepin Avenue. Ongoing activities include demonstrations, food, ski games for families, and an expansive vendor village with door prize drawings throughout the evening!
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2004
9:30 a.m. Start of the REI Family Tour
9:45 a.m. Start of the 35K City of Lakes Loppet Classic Race
10:30 a.m. Start of the 35K City of Lakes Loppet Freestyle Race
9:30 a.m. 3 p.m. Ongoing spectating throughout the Loppet course.
10:00 a.m. First skiers arrive on Hennepin Avenue.
3 p.m. Awards ceremony in Calhoun Square
Saturday races and tour are
scheduled to start at Theodore Wirth Park and all events finish on the streets of Uptown.
Please check out www.cityoflakesloppet.com for updates.
The City of Lakes Loppet thanks its major sponsors: North Memorial Medical Center, Cities 97, Time Warner Cable, Minneapolis St Paul Magazine , Finn Sisu and REI.
The event would not happen without the Loppet's partners: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Uptown Association and Minneapolis City of Lakes.
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SEVEN NAMED TO U.S. NATIONAL SKI HALL OF FAME
Michigan The U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame has selected seven new members, including Olympic ski champions Tommy Moe and Diann Roffe, World Championships medalist A.J. Kitt and Alex Cushing, who brought the 1960 Winter Games to Squaw Valley, California. The seven
will be inducted Jan. 24 in Ishpeming, where organized ski competition in America was founded in 1905.
In addition to those four, Hall of Fame President Dick Goetzman said
the hall had elected Clare Bousquet, founder of Bousquet's Ski Area in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, who helped popularize skiing
with the "ski trains" of the 1930s; Jerry Nunn, a pioneer National Ski Patrol member and the first woman avalanche ranger in the U.S. Forest
Service; and ski lift pioneer Ernst Constam. Bousquet and Constam will be honored posthumously.
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SESSIONS TRAIN VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST BIOLOGISTS IN TRACKING WOLVES
Wisconsin People interested in serving as volunteers to search for the tracks of gray wolves and other carnivores to help state biologists monitor populations of these species can attend training sessions that
have been scheduled this fall.
Volunteer trackers have played a role in helping state wildlife officials estimate the population of wolves and other carnivores in Wisconsin
since 1995, according to Adrian Wydeven, a mammalian ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources.
"Snow track surveys are one of three main surveys we use to estimate
wolf numbers in the state," Wydeven says. "The other surveys include tracking of radio collared wolves and summer fall howl surveys."
While wolf packs that have at least one radio collared wolf can be tracked from the air, fewer than half of the state's wolf packs have radio collared wolves. The best way to determine the number of wolves in
packs without radio collars is by following their tracks in the snow, he says. Snow track surveys are also used to determine distribution and abundance of marten, fisher, bobcat and other forest carnivores in
Wisconsin.
The training session, along with completion of a wolf ecology course, is required for anyone who wants to serve as a volunteer tracker. Each
training session includes information on mammal track identification, recognition of gait patterns, use of forms for recording data, methods for conducting surveys, and the Wisconsin mammal identification test.
There is one training session remaining this fall: Dec. 6 Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center, Babcock, Wisconsin. Register with Dick Thiel or Sandy
Green at 715/884 2437. Limited to 40 people. Training sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. People are requested to register two weeks before the session.
Those who complete the training session and ecology course, along with veteran trackers who have already gone through the training, are assigned survey blocks of about 200 square miles for carnivore tracking
during the winter. Surveys are conducted by slowly driving the survey block after fresh snowfalls. All recent sets of tracks of medium and large forest carnivores are recorded along these snow covered roads.
Volunteer trackers should conduct at least three surveys covering 20 to 30 miles each over the course of the winter.
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2002 2003 NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA WINTER TRAILS SURVEY
Minnesota A winter trails survey was conducted by the University of Minnesota Duluth, School of Business and Economics and Sea Grant
Minnesota in the winter season of 2002 2003.
The technical report on the Cook County, Minnesota, resident survey was developed as a part of the larger research project, "Tourism and
Winter Trail based Recreation: An economic and environmental comparison of motor and quiet sports."
The project was designed to document and compare the impacts of
snowmobiling and cross country skiing in a destination county. It will measure the economic impacts and assess the perceived social and environmental impacts of these activities. This study employed
questionnaires with snowmobilers and cross country skiers and surveyed local residents in Cook County, Minnesota. An understanding of the differences between motor sports (snowmobiling) and a quiet sport
(cross country skiing) is useful in planning future development, minimizing negative impacts and improving marketing decisions.
Among the findings, 81 percent felt that cross country skiers had a
positive impact, compared with just 36 percent for snowmobilers. Only 6 percent listed "a problem" posed by cross country skiers "generally
conflicting trail use with snowmobiles and ATVs" while 63 percent listed 195 problems with snowmobilers, among them noise (26 percent) and driving on private property (17 percent).
Cook County, Minnesota, has approximately 3,100 registered voters while hosting thousands of visitors who flock to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota for cross country skiing and snowmobiling. There are over
300K of groomed cross country ski trails in Cook County, which many say are the best in the Midwest.
Complete results of the Cook County Survey can be downloaded at www.mnnordicski.org
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PORKIES CLASSIC CORRECTION
James Waters, Secretary, Friends of the Porcupine Mountains State Park, is probably wondering why you're all so apathetic. He asked for input on the Porkies Classic, which has been suspended for this coming season.
"The Friends of the Porkies," he wrote, "invite the readers of Silent Sports for any input that might help make the Porkie Classic a race that
people plan for, to circle on their calendars in November as those first snowflakes come fluttering down, causing their blood to boil in excitement for the upcoming ski season. Is this a race you want? Or are
there enough races already out there with great snow? Let me know."
And then we printed an incorrect E-mail address for Mr. Waters. Sorry
about that. For readers who would like to share their thoughts, he can be reached at jlwaters@chartermi.net
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A NEW AGE GROUP FOR ROY CARLSTED
His white beard and laugh are un-mistakable. He's "Dad," "Gramps," "Santa" and "Roy" to most of his friends and family. Roy Carlsted, with 100% Swedish heritage, recently celebrated his 80th birthday, which
isn't really that big of a deal since many people reach their 80th birthday these days. What's remarkable is Roy's health and physical condition.
Roy cross country skis faster than many 50 year-olds and has won
dozens of awards for his accomplishments.
"I wish that I could win a white horse for 3rd place instead of those red horses for 1s. I have way too many red horses," Carlson says, referring
to the awards for the Mora Vasaloppet cross-country ski marathon. "Trouble is there are no more people in my age group for me to compete with".
As a farm boy from Dassel, Minn., Roy started skiing in the farm fields with his homemade skis, going up and down the small hills. He enjoyed downhill skiing so much that he continued until 1969. After seeing a
presentation by the North Star Ski Touring Club on cross country ski touring, Roy decided that he was bored with downhill skiing and wanted to start cross country skiing. He purchased his first pair of skis from a
local cross country ski shop and started skiing with the club. The Oakvik House in Jonathon, Minn. was a popular spot for many Twin City area cross country skiers to gather for a day of skiing. The house
was named for Norm Oakvik one of the founders of the North Star Ski Club.
Carlsted started his ski-racing career by participating in the first VJC
cross country ski race in 1972, organized by the North Star Ski Club. During those years, the Minneapolis Ski Club also held races every Saturday morning at the Flower Garden trails in Theodore Wirth Park in
Minneapolis. Roy was a regular participant at these races. In the 1980's he joined the Peltonen Ski Team and continued to race as the skate style of skiing became popular in 1986.
Since Roy (a construction electrician) started to cross country ski and stay fit, he quit smoking and hanging out with the crew after work. It's not too often that you see a construction worker riding his bicycle to
work. Roy didn't care about the male, macho image of his work environment; he rode his bicycle to stay fit in the summer. There was a price to pay, though, as the electricians on the job liked to have fun with
Roy. One day Carlsted was ready to jump on his bike to ride home but he couldn't find it. After prodding his co-workers, they finally showed him where the bike was strapped to the top of a light pole on I-94.
In the summer Roy likes to ride bicycle. He's done two bicycle rides across Iowa and 13 rides across Minnesota. After he retired at the age of 64, Roy took a 15-day, 1,200-mile bicycle trip with his son-in-law
from Iowa to Cooperstown, NY. He also used to bike the "200 mile in one day" rides around Milacs Lake.
Roy started running marathons in 1978. He has done Grandmas, City of
Lakes, Twin Cities, Paavo Nurmi, Log Drivers and Boston in 1980. In the mid-80s he switched to the ultras. He has also done six Ice-Age 50 trail runs in southern Wisconsin. His last Ice Age 50 miles was at age
71. He held the record for the fastest over 70 at that point. Since then he has done several of the 50K at Highland. As for triathlons, he has
done at least 6 Tinmans and the Turtle Man multiple times, as well as the Tripleloppet held in Duluth back in the early 80s.That was ski, bike and run.
Roy still ski races and has serious competition in only one race; the American Birkebeiner. There happens to be another octogenarian, Ed Harjala from Copper City, Mich., who gives Roy a run for his money.
"There aren't too many people left in my age group," says Roy.
To stay healthy these days, Roy gets out about three times a week pole
hiking, bicycling or cross country skiing. Carlsted also works part-time at a local nursery and gardens in his own backyard vegetable garden. He volunteers his time to help other cross-country skiers learn their
sport, including children from the Minnesota Youth Ski League, who call him "Santa."
Roy's image, health, humor and playfulness have made life lighter for many of us.
Greg Fangel
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