Scott Richardson Articles

Changing lives Published: September 16, 2007 Section: GO! Page: E1 Source:    Scott Richardson;srichardson@pantagraph.com Caption: Carlos Diaz kisses his 3-month-old grandson, Miles Kaillsen, at his Bloomington home before he hops on his bike earlier this month. Diaz started riding to regain his health after being diagnosed with diabetes. Marge Ehlers and Macy, her Yorkie, prepare for a bike ride earlier this month in Normal. ByScott Richardson BLOOMINGTON - Josh King became known as "Red Top" in the McLean County Wheelers cycling club after the full-time student and bartender was awarded a bike in the group's annual "Bike Change Lives" give-away earlier this year. The program is designed to show how pedaling can yield lasting health benefits by giving free bikes to people who want to make positive changes in their lives. Winners were awarded two-wheelers in April based on essays they submitted. They agreed to be interviewed by the Pantagraph for this story to see how they fared. King's label stuck after he called cabs to take him home when three of his many rides went sour. Getting picked up in the country "is not easy," said King, 25 of Normal, whose bike provides his sole transportation. "I give them the best directions as possible, but one time it took six calls for them to find us," he said, laughing. The Red Top nickname isn't the only thing the affable King has earned. The journalism major at Illinois State University has gained a reputation as a never-say-die rider who has logged about 4,600 miles so far this year, an amazing feat on a less-than-fast hybrid bike. He rides about 50 to 60 miles a day four times a week. He's lost more than 50 pounds. His pack-and-a-half cigarette habit ended when he had his last smoke an hour before he picked up his bike. "It seriously has changed my way of life," said King, who credited support from friends and his boss at Logan's Roadhouse Restaurant in Normal. He was allowed to work his schedule around training rides the Wheelers offered to help newcomers get started. "Honestly, since I was introduced to this opportunity, everything, my attitude, everything has changed. I'm more positive. I cut out all negativity. I don't talk to negative people anymore. "The idea of biking, it's all I think about anymore." New granddad Carlos Diaz, 53, an inspector with the Bloomington Housing Authority, rode a bike years ago, but had to quit when he became very ill. He waited for a new liver for 10 years. After a transplant operation in 2000, diabetes was a side effect of his medication. His blood sugar level was way too high, and he had trouble controlling it with insulin. Diaz decided to enter the Wheelers contest after reading stories in the Pantagraph about the health benefits other people got from bike riding. His family was expecting the addition of his first grandchild, and he wanted to be around for a long time. Four, six, 10 miles were difficult when he started riding on the training rides that stretched over ever-longer distances. Now, he can ride 50 miles at a time. He takes his bike out three or four times a week both on group rides with the club and on his own. "I thought those were crazy (mileage) numbers," Diaz said. "But those guys really get you ready for it. They are great and very patient." As a result of his hard work, the regular cycling controls his blood sugar. His doctor took him completely off insulin. Diaz lost more than 30 pounds. He plans to lose 20 more. "I'm just surprised how my health has improved. I feel so much better. I'm surprised how far I can go," he said. His wife, Sheila, is riding with him, too. And, Diaz already is making plans for his grandson, who was born June 11. "I'm sizing him up for a helmet," Diaz said, smiling. "I'd like to thank all the Wheelers. I'm so happy." Going to the dogs People who exercise regularly on Constitution Trail probably recognize Marge Ehlers, 58, of Normal. Before writing her essay to the "Bike Change Lives Giveaway," she rode an old bicycle with her dog, Macy, perched in the basket on the front. Ehlers, the office manager for the superintendent of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley School District 5, wrote the bike club after a technician at a bike shop told her the bike she had wasn't worth repairing. A "dabbler" with the Lake Run Club, she wanted a new bike as a way to continue her cross training while avoiding injury to a tendon she hurt years ago. Bicycling seemed to be an answer. "Biking is something I can really do anytime. I don't have to be in the mood to go bike," she said. "I like the spontaneity of biking, and of course, Macy loves it." Ehlers has exceeded her own expectations. After completing a challenging, hilly 65 miles on a charity ride known as Pedaling for Kicks through the Mackinaw River Valley one hot July day, she ran 5 kilometers with the Lake Run Club that same afternoon. "I had no idea it (cycling) was like it is. It was so much fun to get together with people and go, and the scenery out in the country is so fantastic," she said. "I've made a wonderful world of new friends who like to do the same thing I like to do." Pausing, she chuckled. "Some of the people I run around with now are younger than I am because they don't realize I'm as old as I am," she said. Cycling is addictive, Ehlers said. She's already replaced her hybrid bike from the contest with a sleeker, faster road bike. She's also learned cycling is contagious. One of her sons, who is a marathon runner, has gotten more into mountain biking since she began spending more time on her bike. Co-workers are always interested in hearing about her latest adventures on the asphalt, and at least one of them bought a bike. The postman always rings twice Pam Hansen, 48, Normal, was recently divorced and saw both her parents die from lymphoma within a year when she decided to write the bike club. A full-time student majoring in family and consumer science teacher education and mother of two boys, Hansen wanted to continue her effort at weight loss. She'd lost 60 pounds and wanted to lose more. She was taking pills to control her diabetes. Her blood pressure was sky high. She has ridden three times a week since getting her bike. Her weight loss totals more than 100 pounds. She's reduced her diabetes medication and she's been able to cut her blood-pressure medication in half. "My doctor is totally amazed," she said. Hansen is training to do a century ride - a ride of 100 miles in one day - in Tucson, Ariz., to raise $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Nov. 17. "I never anticipated the absolute joy it brings me. I feel like a teenager again, like I'm free. And, apparently to all my friends, it shows," she said. Others have noticed, too. Her postman, who delivered mail to her home for five years, recently knocked on the door and told her how good she looked, she said. Then, he asked her out. Contribute to Hansen's efforts on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at www.active.com/donate/tntil/tntilPHansen. Family affair Amy Fanelli, 35, Bloomington, who never owned a new two-wheeler in her life, wrote the bike club about how she often ran to keep up with her three boys, ages 5, 7 and 8, as they rode bikes their grandparents gave them. Fanelli wanted a chance to ride herself and to improve her overall fitness level, especially her cardio workout. She also hoped her husband would start riding again, too, after a hiatus from cycling that stretched several years. She's achieved all her goals. She and the boys ride once or twice a week and dad joins in when he can. The couple hopes to take longer rides now that the school year is here. "It's been a lot of fun. I was the only one in the family without a bike and now I have it," she said. "I love it. I like the feel, I like the freedom. Some people say they feel that in the water. But on the bike, I feel so free. But I might have been thinking that while I was going downhill."               Bikes Change Lives' recipients announced Published: April 29, 2007 Section: GO! Page: E1 Source:    Scott Richardson;srichardson@pantagraph.com Six people have received bikes in the 2007 McLean County Wheelers "Bikes Change Lives Giveaway." The club originally planned to give away just three bikes. But three men and three women were chosen after Vitesse Cycle in Normal, Illinois Cycle of Bloomington and an anonymous donor each donated an additional bike to the effort. The recipients also received helmets and cyclometers to measure speed and distance. The selection committee had a tough time choosing from among 17 people who applied, said Wheelers president Phil Warlow. The club's objective is simple: Give bikes to people based on essays they submitted on why they want to start cycling. The Pantagraph will interview them in a few months for a GO! cover story to see how bikes helped them achieve their goals - or not. The giveaway aims to spread the word about how bikes offer great exercise, friendship and fun. Trek president John Burke told an audience at a recent bike show in Taipei that bikes offer solutions to global issues such as traffic congestion, urbanization, air pollution and climate change. On a personal level, bikes address health issues, including obesity. Health concerns were a common theme in the essays. Joshua King, a full-time student and server at a restaurant, said he made a New Year's resolution to "work on me." Unable to afford a car on a student's budget, the bike also will be his main transportation. "My father died from a heart attack at the age of 40, and my mother's family is plagued with diabetes. I have come to the realization that I need to be healthier," he wrote. Amy Fanelli of Bloomington has never owned her own bicycle. "I now have three boys, ages 5,7, and 8. They each got a brand new bike from grandma and grandpa for Christmas and they have a great time riding them around the neighborhood. I am always seen walking very fast behind them, trying to keep up. … My husband also has a very nice bike hanging in our garage. … I would be able to get the family to ride together.––It would–be great exercise and that would be great for all of us." Marge Ehlers of Normal is a member of the Lake Run Club who is looking for a way to cross-train. She also has fond memories of riding her old "garage-sale-type bike" once with the Wheelers on a 15-mile training ride with her dog, Macy, in the basket. Her former bike was "locked in one gear." When she took it to a bike shop for a "tune-up," she was told it wasn't worth saving. John Mulcahey of LeRoy is looking for health benefits and a chance to ride with his children and his wife. Carlos Diaz, a liver transplant recipient with diabetes, said he needs to lose weight. At age 53, he gained hope from reading about how bikes changed this reporter's life after I took up cycling when three members of the Wheelers asked me to help promote the first Bikes Change Lives Giveaway in 2005. I've lost more than 100 pounds riding five to six times each week. "Motivation you ask? As if the nightmare of reporting a 20-pound weight gain to the Pantagraph later in the year is not motivation enough, I am excited about becoming a grandparent for the first time this coming June (It's a boy!) Living a longer and healthier life with a new grandchild is motivation galore," wrote Diaz. Pam Hansen, 38, also has health issues. She lost both parents in the past year to lymphoma. A single mom, she also has the stress that goes with being a full-time, non-traditional student. "In May '05 … at 46 years of age, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I worked hard and lost about 60 pounds before "giving up" on the exercise and part of the diet because of family problems. … I need and am ready for a positive change in my life …" Though not mandatory, the club hopes the recipients will take part in club activities, including training rides that un every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday through June 10. Experienced cyclists lead club members and non-members alike on group rides in the country surrounding the Twin Cities at ever increasing distances. Tuesday rides leave Tipton Park in Bloomington at 5:45 p.m. Thursday rides leave Constitution Trail at Raab Road in Normal at 5:45 p.m. Sunday rides leave Tipton Park at 1:30 p.m. The goal of the training rides is to help participants get in shape by June 16 to ride the 30-mile course of the Ride & Stride, an organized outing which leaves Tipton Park. The ride, which raises money for the Heartland chapter of the American Red Cross in Bloomington, also has courses that are 15, 60 and 100 miles long. Cost is $20 if pre-registered, $25 the day of the event. Entry includes lunch. A T-shirt also is available for an added cost. Call (309) 662-0500 for more information.     Bike club gives offer another go-round Published: March 11, 2007 Section: GO! Page: E1 Source:    Scott Richardson;srichardson@pantagraph.com Back by popular demand, the McLean County Wheelers is sponsoring a "How Bikes Change Lives Giveaway." The bike club did its first giveaway in 2005 to spread the word about how bicycles can help people get fit and have fun, too. The winners took to the road and lost weight, enjoyed quality time with their families and made friends with other cyclists. After listening to the Wheelers' "sales pitch" on bikes during that first giveaway, I bought my first bike as an adult. That was about 10,300 miles ago. I've lost 12 inches around the waist. I'm happier, stronger and will live longer as a result. Though not mandatory, club members hope people who are given the hybrid bikes will work up in distance to complete a 30-mile ride during the annual Ride & Stride. The club will offer training rides several times a week to the winners and to the riding public that gradually increase in distance. The Ride & Stride, sponsored by the Wheelers and the Heartland chapter of the American Red Cross based in Bloomington, will be June 16, starting at Tipton Park in Bloomington. Other routes will stretch 15 miles, 60 miles and new this year, 100 miles. Cost is $20 if you preregister, $25 the day of the event. Entry includes lunch. A T-shirt also is available for an added cost. One condition to the giveaway is that winners agree to be interviewed for a story in the Pantagraph that will run later in the year about how their bikes changed their quality of life - or not. Winners must be 18 years old or older. Bikes will be valued about $350 each and come from three Bloomington-Normal bikes shops: Vitesse, Bloomington Cycle and Wilson's. Winners will receive helmets, too. Write a short essay on how you hope a bike would change your life and e-mail to srichardson@pantagraph.com or snail-mail them to Scott Richardson in care of the Pantagraph, 301 W. Washington St., Bloomington, 61702-2907. Deadline is March 31. A committee of the Wheelers will make the selections. "I'm excited, I think this year is going to be a blast," said Wheelers president Phil Warlow.