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Bike Shop Organizes Ride for Wayside

Posted on: Wednesday, 8 June 2005, 21:00 CDT

If you haven't pumped up the tires on your bike for the season yet, Main Street Bicycles in Carpentersville has a great event on June 18 to help you get rolling.

The store, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary, is sponsoring the 2005 Wayside Ride. It will begin at Main Street Bicycles and head north along the Fox River Trail bike path. Riders will cycle to Rakow Road and then turn around and continue back. Jeff Provisor, the shop's owner says they wanted to keep this year's ride simple because it's the first.

"The ride is roughly 16 miles. It's for all levels. Most people can ride a bike for 15 or 16 miles. It's that distance so we don't have to offer rest stop areas.

"Since it's the first year, it's difficult to get enough volunteers to have around the route and direct people. This way it's out and back - nowhere to turn, nowhere to get lost. We just wanted to make it as easy as possible for everyone and make it a good, successful first outing."

The $20 entry fee for each rider will benefit the Wayside Center in Elgin, which provides clothing, food, and spiritual support to the homeless.

The event was started by Dave Schertz of Elgin.

"Dave is a very good customer. He and a friend Tim come here just as a stopping point on their rides. He comes in all the time and we just became friends," Provisor said. "It was through his church that he decided to do something, and he used me as a source to get this started. I volunteered to let him use my shop as a starting point. I don't mind because it's going to bring cyclists to my store."

Anyone participating in the ride can arrive early and get basic bicycle maintenance for free such as tightening, adjusting, filling air, or changing a flat.

Check-in is from 8 to 10 a.m. Provisor says the ride will take place rain or shine and he has high hopes for a turnout.

"Signups have been slow thus far, but that's kind of typical for this type of event. It's usually day of or last couple days where people finally look and their calendar and see that they've got that day open. We expect at least a few dozen people," he said. To register, stop by Main Street Bicycles at 52 E. Main Street or sign on to waysideride@@hotmail.com. Those who register by June 4 will receive a T-shirt.

The shop offers family trail-related bikes, comfort bikes, road bikes, road racing bikes, mountain bikes, BMX bikes for kids, service, major and minor repair, and tune ups.

Happy campers: Not all summer camps involve tents, s'mores, mosquitoes and crafts. Take, for example, the wide variety of sports camps that will be taking place early this summer at Dundee- Crown High School. Registration is now open for grade school and high school level camps in tennis, volleyball, basketball, and football.

The camps are offered through the Dundee Township Park District, are held at Dundee-Crown, and are taught by the school's head and assistant coaches. Hank Faulkner, division manager of athletics at the park district, says the camps are a great learning experience for kids who want to get some instruction and have some fun.

"Each different sport goes over all of the fundamentals, from the basics right up to more defined things for the older kids. It also gets the coaches in those particular sports a chance to see some of the kids that will be coming into their high school in the future. The kids get to know the coaches, the coaches get a little awareness of who to look for in the next year or two that will help their teams," he said.

Most camps are held in June before families get too busy with summer plans.

"Most camps run for a week or two. If we keep it down to a week or two, we get more registrations. If it's three or four weeks, some people aren't going to sign up because they'll be gone on their vacation. It's best to do it right away when school gets out and people are still around," Faulkner said.

Between 500 and 700 children participate. Camps are designed to improve skills and techniques, inspire self-confidence, stress the importance of teamwork, and teach terminology. Faulkner said they will probably add a cross country program soon. To get details on dates, times, and ages groups, contact the Dundee Township Park District at (847) 428-7131. Faulkner says they will be accepting registrations right up to the first day of the camps.

- If you have any news about your club, school, church, business, neighbor, or even yourself, please contact Kirstin Finneran by cell at (312) 518-4993 or e-mail at kirstinfinneran@@comcast.net.

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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