Published: July 06, 2009 11:46 pm         

Cycling enthusiasts set to roll into Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE — When The Wheelmen converge on St. Mary-of-the-Woods College for the group’s annual four-day meeting this week, time will spin back to the pre-1918 era of cycling history.

Those early bikes with the enormous front wheels and the tiny back tire will be all the rage, as will more modern-looking models, such as the one ridden by West Terre Haute’s Clarence Wagner to three transcontinental records in the 1920s.

The Wheelmen attract bike enthusiasts from around the world, and Terre Haute’s Curt DeBaun is one who is excited about this week’s event.

“I’ve been an avid cyclist all my life,” DeBaun said. “In the 1980s, I went to a national meet in Findley, Ohio. I took my wife and kids and we found it to be family-oriented and much less competitive than other cycling events. There are people from all over the world sharing an interest of cycling.”

He has seen children riding tricycles, as well as senior citizens undertaking their first 100-mile ride. High-wheel bikes can cost $3,000 to $5,000 for an antique, and about the same for a modern reproduction.

“Many of us ride, and many just collect, and some do both,” DeBaun said.

While the meet starts Wednesday with a dinner and reception, the activities start Thursday morning with pleasure rides ranging from 10 miles to 100 miles. The “century” ride of 100 miles will take cyclists to Oakland, Ill., with the halfway point being Twin Lakes Park at Paris, Ill. Volunteers are still needed to man rest stops along the ride routes, and anyone interested in helping can contact DeBaun at (812) 208-5633.

Friday’s events include a show-and-tell of bikes and memorabilia, demonstrations and a swap meet, while Saturday’s schedule includes bicycle games and a Victorian garden party.

The highlight Saturday will be the seminar on Clarence Wagner, who set transcontinental bike records in 1922, 1923 and 1927. Wagner was a popular local figure, but little is heard about him today. He died in the 1930s in a coal mine explosion.

The Wagner seminar will begin a 1:30 p.m. in the LeFer Ballroom at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. Some of the information on Wagner will come from local historians Frank Kleptz and Dorothy Jerse, who collaborated a few years ago to write a book on Wagner. Kleptz now owns many of Wagner’s bicycles.

The Wheelmen is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling, promoting the restoration and riding of early cycles, and encouraging cycling as part of modern living, according to the group’s Web site, www.thewheelmen.org.

The group was organized in 1967 in Delaware, and has since conducted annual meets, or conventions, around North America. Members participate in events around the country, including parades in New York, Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis.

Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.