Details
This evening, the Illinois Valley Wheelm’n will be sponsoring the 5th annual Peoria Ride of Silence event. The Ride of Silence (www.rideofsilence.org) is a world-wide event aimed at honoring those who have been killed or injured while bicycling. This year’s event will be held at Upper Glen Oak Park near the large playground parking lot. We will begin to assemble around 6:30 PM, and head off for the police-escorted 7.5 mile ride around town promptly at 7 PM after a few words/blessing. The Ride of Silence is a FREE event – but helmets will be REQUIRED – no exceptions. You must be 18 years old to participate – or 10 years old with a responsible adult. For more information about the event, please click HERE, or contact Michael Honnold at 309-696-2591.
Media coverage
Click here for some coverage on our local news. It includes this interview with Mike Honnold and Jennifer Sandenaw.
Click here for a media interview with our Chris Salvador.
Come and join the IVW board members for our regular monthly board meeting at Leaves and Beans Roasting Company near Bradley University! May 16th, 6pm.
The Friends of the Rock Island Trail are looking for a few strong backs and arms on Saturday, May 18th to help clean up the recent flood damage on the trail from Dunlap to Wyoming. There is a lot of debris along the trail grassy “apron” and help is needed to rake/pickup/throw this debris back onto the wooded trail boundaries. Volunteers will meet at the Park School Road parking area at 8:30 AM north of Dunlap, and are asked to bring water, gloves, appropriate clothing, and a rake/loppers; if possible. From there, teams will be dispersed to different areas of the trail between Dunlap and Wyoming. By clearing this debris away from the trail apron, Grant and the other summer interns will be able to concentrate on mowing and other more-difficult jobs related to repairing the flood-damaged sections of trail from Dunlap north. If you are interested in helping out, please give Mike Pula a call at 309-264-9396 OR e-mail at mikepula@gmail.com
See update below from George Burrier and the Friends of the Rock Island Trail regarding the trail status and repair progress.
Trail Section Reopened for Use
The Rock Island Trail has been reopened to bike use from Alta to Dunlap as of May 1. The Trail is still closed to bike traffic from Dunlap to Toulon. As sections are repaired moving north, we will reopen them to biking. Between Wyoming and Toulon, there are several areas with such severe damage that the Trail may remain closed until restoration funds become available. Thank you for your support of the Trail, and thank you to all who have offered their help and services to restore the Trail.
About a year ago, the IVW contributed our thoughts toward the plan, and it’s nice to see something has finally come together, even more impressive considering the financial state of Illinois. Check back from time to time to continue to watch the progress on their website. A link may be found on the IVW website under “local links” > “Illinois Bike Transportation Plan”
Illinois Bike Transportation Plan
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is pleased to announce the launch of an online web portal for the Illinois Bike Transportation Plan located at www.IllinoisBikePlan.com. The site provides a comprehensive overview of the plan and offers the public several opportunities to submit feedback, track plan progression, and collaborate with IDOT.
During the coming months, the site will be populated with additional resources and updated outreach information via the Timeline tool. The site will also host an interactive public engagement tool that will allow the public to submit bicycle policy and route recommendations. Finally, the site will provide helpful links to the public and instructions on ordering free Illinois bike maps.
Please click the link below to take our short (one question) survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IllinoisBikeTransportationPlan2

On Wednesday, May 15th, the Illinois Valley Wheelm’n will be sponsoring the 5th annual Peoria Ride of Silence event. The Ride of Silence (www.rideofsilence.org) is a world-wide event aimed at honoring those who have been killed or injured while bicycling. This year’s event will be held at Upper Glen Oak Park near the large playground parking lot. We will begin to assemble around 6:30 PM, and head off for the police-escorted 7.5 mile ride around town promptly at 7 PM after a few words/blessing. The Ride of Silence is a FREE event – but helmets will be REQUIRED – no exceptions. You must be 18 years old to participate – or 10 years old with a responsible adult. For more information about the event, please click HERE, or contact Michael Honnold at 309-696-2591.
On the *blustery* afternoon of Monday, March 18th, four hearty IVW members gathered at the Pioneer Parkway trailhead in Peoria to do a trail run pickup of our adopted 1.5 mile section of the Rock Island Trail. Despite some logistical issues, the section was successfully cleaned up in less than an hour’s time! Be on the lookout soon for news regarding the April pickup!!
Save the date for 5/15/2013 – 2nd Annual Central Illinois Bicycle Summit. I attended last year, and it’s a great time! Don’t fret – despite being scheduled on the same day – we DO plan to still have the Peoria Ride of Silence later that evening at 7 PM from Glen Oak Park! Click HERE for the Bike Summit Flyer. Please click HERE if you would like to register!
