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Antique bicycle riders coming to Paris
  
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By GARY HENRY
Staff Writer
Twin Lakes Park will have a late 19th century appearance on July 9 when the Wheelmen pedal into the park.
The Wheelmen is an international organization for riders and collectors of antique bicycles. The group’s 2009 national convention is being held at St. Mary’s of the Woods between July 8 and July 12 and Twin Lakes Park is included on both the 50-mile and Century (100-mile) rides.
“It will be interesting to watch,” said Wheelmen member Curt DeBaun.. “Many will be wearing period costumes.”
DeBaun, who lives between Paris and West Terre Haute, was selected to plan the distance rides because of his familiarity with the area.
“I wanted to start in Paris because it’s flatter, but the guy in charge said we needed to start at St. Mary’s,” DeBaun explained.
Twin Lakes Park is the destination for those participating in the 50-mile-ride as they will start the return to St. Mary’s from the park. Cyclists attempting the Century Ride will continue on to Oakland in Coles County and begin the return leg of the journey from that location.
DeBaun expects at least 100 antique bicycle riders in Paris on July 9 and approximately half will make the extended trip to Oakland. He added participants are normally equally divided between those riding an “ordinary” and those on a “safety.”
In collector parlance, an ordinary is a bicycle with a high front wheel and a much smaller wheel in the back. Another more rare type of high wheel bike placed the smaller wheel in front. The safeties are bikes that have wheels of equal size, and the name is a reflection upon the experiences early riders had with the high wheel bicycle.
“People got killed on these,” DeBaun said, while standing beside his reproduction bike with a five-foot front wheel.
He explained that while the ordinaries are as easy to ride as the safeties, the physics involved are different. The rider of an ordinary is seated directly over the hub of the wheel and that puts mass of the bike more to the front than the center as is true of safety bikes. Bumps are difficult for high wheel bikes and even something simple like striking rock is enough to propel the rider over the handlebars.
“It was called taking a header – that’s where the term comes from,” said DeBaun.
The high wheel bicycle was fashionable and in use for only about 15 years. They were introduced to the United State during the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 at Philadelphia and gained immediate popularity with more affluent citizens, who could afford the expensive devices. The rise of safety bicycles, which were not only safer but also more affordable, saw the demise of the high wheelers by the end of the 19th century.
DeBaun describes himself as an avid cyclist and he enjoys riding the high wheel style of bike. He finds the ordinaries to be a comfortable ride because the rider maintains an upright position instead of leaning forward over the handlebars.
His one complaint is the difficulty the bikes have with hills. They are difficult to pedal up a hill and the spoon brake on the front wheel does little to decrease speed or stop the bike on the downhill.
DeBaun said the common practice, then and now, for stopping the bike is to dismount.
His involvement with the Wheelmen started in the late 1980s after attending one of their events.
DeBaun was impressed with the organization’s family friendly environment, which was much different from the competitive spirit he experienced at other bicycle clubs.
He is seeking volunteers to help at the Twin Lakes Park, in Oakland and also at possible other rest stops. The tentative route has the riders approaching Paris on the Terre Haute Road. Those on the 50-mile ride will depart on the Clinton Road and take County Highway 1 through Vermilion and continue south before cutting back east to Indiana.
Those attempting the Century Ride will ride across Edgar County on County Highway 14 until they intersect with Coles County 3, which is their route into Oakland. Riders will continue north from Oakland and cut across on the country roads to connect with the Horace-Brocton Road in Edgar County.
They will return to Paris on Edgar County 9 and after reaching Paris will use the established return route of the Clinton Road and then south on County 1. Anyone interested in helping with the event can contact DeBaun at 812-208-5633 or at curt@debaunfuneralhomes.com
“It doesn’t have to be for the whole day,” said DeBaun, adding volunteers don’t have to be at the Twin Lakes Park either, as he needs rest stops along the routes.
DeBaun said the time required for the Century Ride depends on the strength of the cyclist.
“It takes me all day from sunup to sundown,” said DeBaun. “Some can do it in eight hours, but it’s not a race – just an accomplishment.”
He encouraged area residents to visit the park on July 9, either as volunteers or spectators.
“You never know there might be someone here in Paris that would like to be a Wheelman,” DeBaun said.
Wheelmen convention has public events
By GARY HENRY
Staff Writer
The Wheelmen National Convention coming to St. Mary’s of the Woods welcomes the public to attend some of the activities associated with the event.
Curt DeBaun, an area resident and member of the Wheelmen, expects the event to have international attendance and some members from the U.S. and Canada may ride their bikes from home to the convention.
“We always put on a demonstration of the bikes,” said DeBaun, noting the demonstration includes vintage cycles ranging from earliest models known as “boneshakers” to styles common at the start of World War I.
The demonstration is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EDT July 10 in the parking lot in front of the dining room on the St. Mary’s campus.
Another special event is a lecture on the life of Terre Haute native Clarence Wagener, who set three transcontinental bicycle records in 1922, 1923 and 1927. The lecture is 1:30 p.m. EDT July 11 in the Le Fer Ballroom on the campus.
“I’d encourage any local cyclist to come hear that,” said DeBaun. “We are trying to save him from oblivion.”
The Wheelmen is an international organization for riders and collectors of antique bicycles. The group’s 2009 national convention is being held at St. Mary’s of the Woods between July 8 and July 12 and Twin Lakes Park is included on both the 50-mile and Century (100-mile) rides.
“It will be interesting to watch,” said Wheelmen member Curt DeBaun.. “Many will be wearing period costumes.”
DeBaun, who lives between Paris and West Terre Haute, was selected to plan the distance rides because of his familiarity with the area.
“I wanted to start in Paris because it’s flatter, but the guy in charge said we needed to start at St. Mary’s,” DeBaun explained.
Twin Lakes Park is the destination for those participating in the 50-mile-ride as they will start the return to St. Mary’s from the park. Cyclists attempting the Century Ride will continue on to Oakland in Coles County and begin the return leg of the journey from that location.
DeBaun expects at least 100 antique bicycle riders in Paris on July 9 and approximately half will make the extended trip to Oakland. He added participants are normally equally divided between those riding an “ordinary” and those on a “safety.”
In collector parlance, an ordinary is a bicycle with a high front wheel and a much smaller wheel in the back. Another more rare type of high wheel bike placed the smaller wheel in front. The safeties are bikes that have wheels of equal size, and the name is a reflection upon the experiences early riders had with the high wheel bicycle.
“People got killed on these,” DeBaun said, while standing beside his reproduction bike with a five-foot front wheel.
He explained that while the ordinaries are as easy to ride as the safeties, the physics involved are different. The rider of an ordinary is seated directly over the hub of the wheel and that puts mass of the bike more to the front than the center as is true of safety bikes. Bumps are difficult for high wheel bikes and even something simple like striking rock is enough to propel the rider over the handlebars.
“It was called taking a header – that’s where the term comes from,” said DeBaun.
The high wheel bicycle was fashionable and in use for only about 15 years. They were introduced to the United State during the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 at Philadelphia and gained immediate popularity with more affluent citizens, who could afford the expensive devices. The rise of safety bicycles, which were not only safer but also more affordable, saw the demise of the high wheelers by the end of the 19th century.
DeBaun describes himself as an avid cyclist and he enjoys riding the high wheel style of bike. He finds the ordinaries to be a comfortable ride because the rider maintains an upright position instead of leaning forward over the handlebars.
His one complaint is the difficulty the bikes have with hills. They are difficult to pedal up a hill and the spoon brake on the front wheel does little to decrease speed or stop the bike on the downhill.
DeBaun said the common practice, then and now, for stopping the bike is to dismount.
His involvement with the Wheelmen started in the late 1980s after attending one of their events.
DeBaun was impressed with the organization’s family friendly environment, which was much different from the competitive spirit he experienced at other bicycle clubs.
He is seeking volunteers to help at the Twin Lakes Park, in Oakland and also at possible other rest stops. The tentative route has the riders approaching Paris on the Terre Haute Road. Those on the 50-mile ride will depart on the Clinton Road and take County Highway 1 through Vermilion and continue south before cutting back east to Indiana.
Those attempting the Century Ride will ride across Edgar County on County Highway 14 until they intersect with Coles County 3, which is their route into Oakland. Riders will continue north from Oakland and cut across on the country roads to connect with the Horace-Brocton Road in Edgar County.
They will return to Paris on Edgar County 9 and after reaching Paris will use the established return route of the Clinton Road and then south on County 1. Anyone interested in helping with the event can contact DeBaun at 812-208-5633 or at curt@debaunfuneralhomes.com
“It doesn’t have to be for the whole day,” said DeBaun, adding volunteers don’t have to be at the Twin Lakes Park either, as he needs rest stops along the routes.
DeBaun said the time required for the Century Ride depends on the strength of the cyclist.
“It takes me all day from sunup to sundown,” said DeBaun. “Some can do it in eight hours, but it’s not a race – just an accomplishment.”
He encouraged area residents to visit the park on July 9, either as volunteers or spectators.
“You never know there might be someone here in Paris that would like to be a Wheelman,” DeBaun said.
Wheelmen convention has public events
By GARY HENRY
Staff Writer
The Wheelmen National Convention coming to St. Mary’s of the Woods welcomes the public to attend some of the activities associated with the event.
Curt DeBaun, an area resident and member of the Wheelmen, expects the event to have international attendance and some members from the U.S. and Canada may ride their bikes from home to the convention.
“We always put on a demonstration of the bikes,” said DeBaun, noting the demonstration includes vintage cycles ranging from earliest models known as “boneshakers” to styles common at the start of World War I.
The demonstration is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EDT July 10 in the parking lot in front of the dining room on the St. Mary’s campus.
Another special event is a lecture on the life of Terre Haute native Clarence Wagener, who set three transcontinental bicycle records in 1922, 1923 and 1927. The lecture is 1:30 p.m. EDT July 11 in the Le Fer Ballroom on the campus.
“I’d encourage any local cyclist to come hear that,” said DeBaun. “We are trying to save him from oblivion.”
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