2013 Monon Milestone Ride - 11th Hour Decision

I apologize for the last minute decision, but I have decided to schedule the 2013 Monon Milestone Ride on Saturday, August 10, 2013. The ride will start at 9:00 a.m. at the Frank & Judy O'Bannon Soccer Park. The entrance to the parking lot is off of 16th street, east of College Avenue (immediately east of Bellefontaine Street).

As in previous years, I plan to celebrate the end of the ride at the Broad Ripple Brewpub. However, this year, instead of doing an early dinner (which never seemed to work for anyone), I will be there for a late lunch after the ride, sometime between 1:00-1:30 p.m. I hope to see you there.

For more information about the ride, see Basic Information, Rules of the Road, and Frequently Asked Questions.

Basic Information

What it is: The Monon Milestone Ride is an unofficial, grass roots, just for the fun of it bike ride that travels the round trip length of the Monon Trail/Greenway through Indianapolis, Carmel, and Westfield.

What it is NOT: A race. An excuse for bad manners on the Monon Trail. Officially sponsored by any institution, organization, or commercial enterprise.

When it is: Sunday, August 19, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.

Where it is: The ride begins at the Frank & Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park at 1001 E. 16th Street, travels half a mile south to the trailhead at 10th Street, goes north all the way to 161st Street in Westfield, and returns to the O'Bannon Soccer Park. Please note that we will be taking the detour south of 146th Street because of the construction of the new Monon Pedestrian Bridge.

How far it is: 34 miles round trip.

How much it costs: ABSOLUTELY FREE! Well, you are responsible for your bike, helmet, food, and water. After that, it is absolutely free.

Why it is: To celebrate Indiana greenways, bicycling, comraderie, my birthday, and everyone's own personal achievements...not necessarily in that order.

Who I should contact: If you are interested in riding, please contact me at mononmilestone@gmail.com.



For more information, please visit the History of the Ride, Frequently Asked Questions, and Rules of the Road.



Disclaimer: The organizers of the Monon Milestone Ride assume no responsibility for any injury or harm to body or property that may occur during the ride due to malfeasance or negligence on the part of the participants, non-participants, or life itself. Sometimes life just isn’t fair. That’s why we follow the rules of the road: to slant the odds in our favor.

Rules of the Road

The Monon Trail lures one into a false sense of complacency. Although the people on the trail are removed from automobile traffic, the trail’s patrons are not exempt from regulations, safety, and just plain good behavior. Creating a bicycle safety guide is tricky. One wants to avoid unhelpful generalities (“Just remember, be a GOOD person”), yet one does not want to bog down the reader with boring specifics either (“Sec. 10. A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person who operates the bicycle to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.”) I’m already yawning, and I’m the one who typed the last sentence.

So, here are my top 9 rules of the road. Although they are all important, I have ranked them in decreasing order of likelihood to cause an accident to self or others if ignored. And if you feel I have missed an important rule, please send it to me, and I will include it.

1. Stop or Yield at All Crossings. The Monon Trail is not a closed system; it bissects many public streets, and the cars DO NOT STOP. Accidents occur when bikers barrel through the stop signs without checking for traffic (Two hurt in crash at 16th and Monon Trail). Always stop or yield to cars before crossing. When biking in a group, let people behind you know if the road is safe to cross by announcing, “Clear!” before crossing.
2. Yield to Pedestrians and Skaters. The official posted trail rules clearly identify a yield hierarchy. Essentially, bikers yield to everyone else. This means that if a group of people are blocking the way, and you can’t go around them, SLOW DOWN until you can get past. More importantly, watch out for children who may stroll into oncoming traffic.
3. Keep to the Right. Standard traffic rules on or off the trail state that bikes keep to the right except to pass. When riding, have no more than two people side by side and ALWAYS stay to the right of the painted divider. It just plain bugs me when people cross the line into oncoming traffic. Especially when I am the oncoming traffic.
4. Wear a Helmet. According to the National Safety Council, head injuries cause about two-thirds of all bicycling fatalities. The Consumer Product Safety Council (CPSC) estimated that bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of head injuries by 85%. Bicycle helmets should be as standard as seat belts in cars and yet the CPSC estimates that only 18% of bicyclers wear a helmet. We are going to shift those numbers upwards. Wear a helmet.
5. Announce Your Intent to Pass. This is the most frequently ignored rule of the road, and it is one of the most important. If you need to pass someone, biker, pedestrian, or skater, say, “On the left,” loudly and clearly BEFORE you get to the person. This is incredibly important when passing bikers, who may suddenly move into your path as they try to pass someone; children, who have an unfortunate tendency to meander; and people walking side-by-side, who may be taking over the entire right side of the path. How often do you need to announce yourself? AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY. Practice in a mirror, “on the left, on the left, on the left.” Now please tell the @#!$ power bikers to start saying this.
6. Signal Your Intent to Turn, Stop, or Enter Traffic. Use hand signals to warn people if you are turning, slowing, or stopping. It also helps to verbally state, “Slowing!” or “Stopping!” just in case someone misses your subtle gestures. Furthermore, when re-entering traffic from the side of the path, say, “Coming out!”
7. Keep Yourself Hydrated and Nourished. Bring water. Bring high protein snacks. Bring cash if needed. Drink often and refill your CamelBak, canteen, or water bottle at drink fountains stationed along the trail. It’s gonna be real hot out there. ‘Nuff said.
8. Shield Yourself from the Elements. Wear sunblock. Bring a poncho. Wear sunglasses if needed. Typical stuff.
9. Be a GOOD person. OK, so I lied. I guess I said it after all. Basically, assume that you are setting the example for the rest of the world...or at least the rest of the trail. I want the Monon Milestone Ride to become synonymous with safety and etiquette. I am setting the bar very high for all of you.

Here are additional bicycle safety resources for those who are interested:
Indiana Code 9-21-11 Bicycles and Motorized Bicycles
Ten Safety Tips for Monon Trail Users
Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should ride?
Anyone who has a bike should ride. It does not matter if you have an old banana seat bike with streamers and a basket, or if you have a 2011 Scattante carbon frame THX1138 with 32 gears, GPS, heart rate monitor, and 2-dimensional wheels capable of scaling walls or cruising at 85 miles per hour. We take all comers. If you’ve never biked 34 miles before, I recommend you start practicing now. Even if your legs are in good shape, you may discover other muscles that might be underdeveloped. Without practice, you WILL discover the meaning of the phrase “saddle sore.”

Do I have to ride the entire thing?
Not if you don’t want to. The purpose is to get out on the trail and have fun. However, unlike the Hilly Hundred, there is no concierge truck coming along to pick up weary travellers. Please make sure that you have alternative transportation if you need to end your ride prematurely. You may also call my cellphone (317-679-6835) if you need assistance, and, assuming I hear my phone on the trail, I will do what I can to help you.

What should I bring?

REQUIRED
A bike. Please bring your upright, recumbent, or other such vehicle permissable on the Monon Trail.
A bike helmet. I am serious about this. If you show up without one, I will ride behind you and quote head injury statistics for the entire duration of the ride. (Note the lack of “smiley” emoticon at the end of the previous sentence. Those of you who know me know I’m not bluffing. I might even call your mother.)
Water in a Camelbak, canteen, water bottle, or other portable receptacle (I'm also serious about this. Hello? It's August in Indiana.)

RECOMMENDED
Snacks.The Monon Milestone is a long ride, and I definitely recommend that you bring along Powerbars, Tiger's Milk Bars, nuts, dried fruit, or any other high protein snack that will provide sustenance along the ride. I will most likely bring some snacks and extra water, but please do not count on that.
Sun block. It’s gonna be hot and sunny. Let’s stave off the melanoma.
A towel. To quote Douglas Adams, “A towel...is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” Had Adams biked the Monon round trip, he would have included wiping away sweat among its many uses.
Mobile phone. Just in case. But PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not talk on the phone while riding.

History of the Ride

It all started in the early Spring of 2008. I had just received an email from three lovely ladies who had attended my high school, had been in my year, and were all turning 40. To celebrate, they were going on a 100-mile bike ride in California to raise money for some medical disease association and were asking for sponsorship. My first thought was, “How noble! And impressive!” My second thought was, “But, I could never do that.” And, my third thought, following the other two in rapid succession, was, “So, what are you going to do to mark your milestone birthday? What’s so impressive about your life?”

I was stymied. Nothing I could do, no party, no purchase, no presents, could match their 100-mile ride. I was feeling paunchy, old, and weak, and not facing my impending milestone birthday with any sense of optimism, positive body image, or personal sense of accomplishment.

So, I decided to bike the Monon. It’s only 34 miles, not 100, but it was a personal milestone, a proof of concept, if you will, that it was not too late to turn my health around, get off my fanny, and DO something. So, I did it. And the next year I did it again, only this time with friends.

I have since upped the stakes. In 2009, I biked the Hilly Hundred, a feat I hope to repeat this coming Fall. But I still bike the Monon every year around my birthday, encouraging others to join me, celebrate their own personal milestones, and get off their respective fannies.

Why the Monon Trail? It is certainly not the safest, longest, or prettiest trail in Indianapolis. But it is an entity, a knowable quantity, a specific challenge with which to be proud. “You know that trail that cuts across Indianapolis? Yeah? I biked it. All of it.”

Besides, the Monon has it’s own particular charm. It truly is a cross-section of Indianapolis. On the trail, you can see young African men playing soccer at one end and younger (mostly) white boys jumping their skateboards at the other. You pass lower-income houses, warehouses, and wide-open spaces on the south end and higher-income houses, restaurants, and tree cover at the north end. You pass the State Fairgrounds, the Indiana School for the Deaf, and the Indiana School for the Blind. You see bicyclists, in-line skaters, joggers, walkers, strollers, dogs, and children. In short, you get to see Indianapolis.

So, I encourage anyone and everyone to come join me and help me celebrate milestones, yours and mine. Bike as far as you can, drop out whenever you need to. But, trust me, if you can do the whole trail, it definitely is worth it. Besides, I always celebrate after the ride at the Broadripple Brew Pub, usually around 4pm for an early dinner and multiple microbrews. Sorry, you’re on the hook for your own meal, but if I am feeling particularly generous...I might buy a beer for someone riding the full Monon for the first time.

But only after you've fully rehydrated, of course. This is August in Indiana, after all.