Waterloo, Ill., sisters follow bike trails

Sisters Courtney and Tiffany Harbison were among hundreds of bicycle riders on last month's Fair Saint Louis Riverfront Bike Ride. The 27.6-mile route they rode was the longest distance they'd ever done.

The Fair Saint Louis routes were typical of the outstanding biking opportunities available for St. Louis-area bikers. For instance, the Fair Saint Louis ride included a first chance to ride across the Mississippi River on the newly-reopened Eads Bridge.

The historic bridge was completely refurbished to allow for pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

For the Harbison girls, this ride included two river crossings. They started on the Illinois side of the Eads Bridge. After crossing high above the river, they and their parents headed north on the Missouri side.

They re-crossed the Mississippi on the Chain of Rocks Bridge and then went south to return to their starting point.

The girls admitted they had to stop several times to rest. After all, temperatures at Fair Saint Louis time are almost always hot. This year, they did their ride in temperatures over 90 degrees.

Courtney said, "We stopped five or six times." The kids favorite stop was after crossing the Chain of Rocks Bridge when they made their "custard stop."

The Fair Saint Louis ride organizers had rest stops placed along the various bike routes.

Courtney said, "I had a hot dog at one stop and cookies at another." But, she added, "I think that all I drank was water during the whole ride."

Tiffany said the Eads Bridge crossing was the first time she'd ridden over the Mississippi on a bike. She said the crossing offered a neat view of downtown St. Louis.

Most of the time, when the Harbisons take a bike trip, they go to places with extra sightseeing opportunities.

That's where Trailnet comes in. The local not-for-profit group was a sponsor of the Fair Saint Louis ride. The group was set up years ago to develop multi-use recreational trails and greenways in metro St. Louis.

Also, the group sponsors the Bicycle Fun Club. That organizes special bike trips which are usually tied to area historic sites or community events.

For instance, in August, the Club will have the following rides:

• Aug. 3, the New Memphis BBQ Ride starting in Mascoutah, Ill.
• Aug. 9: the Yellow Dog Ride from Hamel, Ill.
• Aug. 17: a new Grafton Ferry Ride starting in Orchard Farm, Mo.
• Aug. 24: Annie's Frozen Custard Ride, starting in Edwardsville, Ill.

Trailnet's rides vary in distance and terrain. For instance, the New Memphis and Grafton Ferry rides are for beginning cyclists. But, the Frozen Custard ride involves longer distances and is good for kids with more experience.

(For more information about Trailnet and its activities, visit www.trailnet.org.)

Nine-year-old Courtney Harbison and her 8-year-old sister, Tiffany, are from Waterloo, Ill. They've been riding bikes since they were three and four. Of course, their first bikes were tiny and had training wheels.

But, they've both graduated to 21-speed Giant bicycles so they can handle rougher terrain and longer distances. The only thing different about each bikes is the color. Courtney's is pink and Tiffany's is blue.

So far, the Harbison girls have been on a half-dozen organized rides.

One of the rides that Courtney liked the best was a 15-mile ride sponsored by a hostelling group. That ride was at Sullivan, Mo., and involved an overnight stay.

Tiffany thought her favorite was a 25-mile ride held in conjunction with a strawberry festival at St. Jacob, Mo. She liked that ride best because, for completing the ride, the cyclists got special strawberry shortcake desserts.

One thing that made it extra special, the shortcake is topped by both ice cream and whipped cream.

Trailnet says the St. Jacob ride is one of the most popular among all their scheduled rides.

The girls say they plan to take other organized rides later this summer.

Tiffany doesn't wait for her parents to plan the rides. She oftentimes will ask her sister and parents to go for a little ride around their home. Since they live in the country outside Waterloo, her "little rides" often involve several miles to a neighboring town.