The Riverwoods Trail- you won't believe it's so close to home

The Riverwoods Trail is a gem hidden just beyond the office parks of Earth City and Bridgeton. The trailhead begins where St. Charles Rock Road ends in Bridgeton. Some will remember "yesterday" when they drove down this stretch of road and crossed a bridge into St. Charles. None will forget the beautiful trail that they find here today.

The scenic asphalt trail is 3.2 miles out and back, reaching just short of the Blanchette bridge. The trail closely follows the shoreline of the Missouri River and overlooks old St. Charles on the opposite shore. Scenic views and wetland forests are all along the way.







The trailhead has plenty of parking and a large picnic area that is unusually large for trails built by the Great Rivers Greenway. The GRG plans to some day connect this trail with Hwy 370 in the north, Chesterfield in the south and Columbia Bottoms in the East. I can hardly wait.

How to choose a bicycle

Most beginning recreational riders living in this area probably want some type of recreational hybrid bicycle if they plan to ride at least part time on gravel trails like the Katy Trail. The tires are usually 3/4" to 1-1/4" wide and the diameter is typically called a 700c, which is about 29 inches. These wider tire sizes will feel a little more stable than a road bike for most beginning cyclists.

Just walking into a bike shop can be a little overwhelming for most of us.Checkout this article from REI by clicking here.

Things not to hit on a bicycle

There's a lot of interest in what I hit last Sunday on my bicycle. Here's a picture of a bollard identical to the one that I hit on the MCT trails (the short one in the center), it is not the one that I actually hit. There is no road next to the bollard that I hit, only a never used farming dirt road. Go figure.

A reconnaissance trip by my Thursday night bicycle group found a slight scratch on the reflector. Thank God I won't be getting a bill from the state of Illinois.
To see a Google Map view of the actual bollard that I hit, Click Here

Giuseppe Maino and time to reflect

Six broken ribs, punctured lung, two fractured vertebrae, cracked helmet, bicycle is toast and I'm going home after 8 days in the hospital thanks to Gods protection, healing, prayers and the excellent medical care at Mercy Hospital (ironically I was training to ride with Team Mercy in Saturday's Ride for Cystic Fibrosis).
Giuseppe Marino was apparently not so fortunate in April, 2012. See article below.
I have a lot of questions in my mind about the necessity of bollards, apparently there are better designs. Regardless, today was Father's Day, first time with all my kids on that day in way too many years. I have a lot of time to reflect on God's favor, my loving wife and my family. God is good, I'm thankful to still be here.

Barriers rethought after fatal bicycling accident [marionstar.com]
MANSFIELD - Bicyclists have safety concerns regarding the metal posts known as bollards used to keep motor vehicles off of the Richland B&O Trail.
A 53-year-old man died Wednesday from injuries received in a bicycle accident Tuesday evening on the trail. The experienced cyclist, Giuseppe Maino, hit a barrier in Bellville.
Steve McKee, director of the Richland County Park District that oversees the bike trail, said the bollards have caused accidents in the past.
"It wasn't really on the horizon until this accident," McKee said of the bollards. "We've had a few people with scrapes in the past. This is going to make us take a serious look.''
Maino was a contractor at the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio National Guard base in Mansfield. He died at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday at MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital, said Richland County Coroner's Investigator Bob Ball.
[Keep reading at marionstar.com]

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