Just got the LAB's current magazine (the name is now American
Bicyclist) and it contains a list of the top 25 "individuals" (loosely
defined) who influenced cycling in the US. Available to non-members
here:
http://www.bikeleague.org/mediacenter/Top25.htm
It looks a little odd to have several of the judges included in the
final list. And what's with this "Shimano family" and "Trek family"?
(Is this a case of creeping Borg tandemism where the collective equals
the one?)
And it seems like the folks who were the founders of the weekend
invitational ride (Greg & Charlie Siple; TOSRV) and week-long
cross-state tours (Karras and Kaul; RAGBRAI) might have been included.
How about Amelia Bloomer? She changed bicycling history, probably more
than Georgena Terry. John Boyd Dunlop? Dan Henry??? How about the RAAM
people? Or folks who've won medals at various Olympics? I'm not sure
what Rodale did other than purchase a magazine that happened to be for
sale. But no, we've got Juli Furtado. The NG Poster Sometimes Known as
Vandespam probably has had more influence than her!
Interestingly, it looks like the criteria were either "had an effect on
the L.A.W." *** or "someone we're read about in the paper or who could
buy an ad in the magazine." We go from Keith Kingbay (in whose living
room the League was famously resurrected!) to Lance, but we skip over
folks who created bicycling events.
Onward and upward. I gotta go.
--Karen D.
***memo to editor: please revise your stylebook and don't refer to the
assn as "LAW". It changes the law, it gets the law repealed. But it is
not the LAW, it's the L.(period) A.(period) W.(period). If you don't
believe me, ask Phyllis Harmon.