MAY 2011 cycling utah.com 1 VOLUME 19 NUMBER 3 FREE MAY 2011 cycling utah MAY IS BIKE MONTH! CELEBRATE! UTAH, IDAHO, DIRT & REGIONAL PAVEMENT EVENT ADVOCACY RACING CALENDAR TOURING INSIDE! TRIATHLON COMMUTING MOUNTAIN WEST CYCLING JOURNAL WEST CYCLING MOUNTAIN 2 cycling utah.com MAY 2011 SPEAKING OF SPOKES An Interview with Lou Melini on Cycling as a Way of Life weeks riding across the United States. to do something like that prior to that By David Ward - Publisher It changed both of our lives. ride. I would have been too scared to I changed and went into medicine, do that. There is just no way I would Interview with Lou Melini on April became a nurse at that time. I wanted have had the self-confidence to do that 14, 2011 by cycling utah’s publisher, to learn more about the human body, before that ride. P.O. Box 57980 David R. Ward. and so forth. Jeff is, actually he was Murray, UT 84157-0980 just now a vice-president at Dunkin’ CU: Okay. www.cyclingutah.com Lou Melini has to be one of, if not Donuts, but he’s got an MBA and is in You can reach us by phone: the, most longstanding bike commuter, the corporate world. He quit Dunkin LM: Until you do it . If you go out (801) 268-2652 bike tourist and bicycling advocate Donuts and is a CEO for a group and do it then you understand what Our Fax number: in Utah. He has lived in Utah for 32 of investors that just bought like 32 I am talking about, doing something years, and been a commuter, tourist Burger Kings and 20 Papa Johns. They like that. That’s why I tell kids now, (801) 263-1010 and advocate since his move here. have a little bit of money behind them. go ahead and take off for three months. Lou writes cycling utah’s Commuter Anyhow, we rode across the United Dave Iltis, Editor & Column as well as book reviews and States in 1975 and fell in love with Advertising Continued on page 32 touring stories. He’s a former chair cycling. I just dream about [bike tour- [email protected] of Salt Lake City’s Mayor’s Bicycle ing] all the time. It’s almost an obses- Advisory Committee (MBAC). Dave sion to go bike touring because it was David R. Ward, Publisher asked Lou about his background, expe- such a memorable experience. DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!! riences and perceptions of biking. It changed me personality wise, [email protected] changed my goals, changed how I, you World’s Most SCENIC CU: Let’s start out with your back- know, I mean I went from a crappy BICYCLE TOUR Contributors: Ben Simonson, ground. Tell me where you are from student to scoring top in the country Michael Gonzales, Lou Melini, and what your profession is, and give Lou Melini at the Last Call 2011 when I got into nursing and PA studies. Andy Singer, Jared Eborn, Ryan me some information about yourself. Cyclocross Race. Photo: Dave Iltis It’s changed me immensely. I mean, Barrett, Bryce Pratt, Jordan I was one of the last, bottom of my Hukee, Curtis Clayton, Robin LM: I’m originally from New Jersey graduating class in my first go around, Perkins, Lukas Brinkerhoff, if you can’t tell from my accent. I CU: Right, and I was too far down in but it changed me. The ride across the Cimarron Chacon, Louis have been in Utah for 32 years now. I the lottery. So it wasn’t a problem for country changed me in innumerable Borgenicht, Erik Moen, Tom came to work in the children’s hospital me, but I had also had operations on ways that I can’t even describe. People Legacy Annual Jow, Bob Saffell, Shannon Boffeli, as a physician’s assistant in general my feet so I was told that I wouldn’t be that knew me before in the early ‘70s Great Bicycle Ride Across Utah Jen Murano, Charles Pekow, pediatrics. I have been in pediatrics for drafted anyway. would probably be scared to have me Marshall Emsley, Wayne Cottrell 32 years. examine their kids at this point, know- LM: You were lucky. Most of us got ing me then [compared] to now. But it September 1-10, 2011 CU: Are you still with Primary our 2-S deferment, and then I think it was a memorable experience and it has Distribution: Dave, Karma, Children’s? was in 1971 or 1972 when the lottery just taken off since then. I like bikes, Moab to Cedar City, Utah and Marinda Ward, Doug came in and my number was really I like riding them and it has become a 3-day, 7-day, and 10-day options through up to 5 of Utah’s Kartcher, David Montgomery LM: No, I’m in private practice. I high so I didn’t have to worry about lifestyle with me. National Parks, 5 amazing state parks, 2 national monu- haven’t worked with Primary since getting drafted because of my high lot- ments, and a number of national forests and ancient (To add your business to our Indian ruins. 1991. My wife still works there. She is tery number. Anyhow, as a result of that CU: What was it in particular that made free distribution list, give us a nurse practitioner in the emergency environment we were in, there were a it memorable? “The premiere ‘MUST DO’ bicycle tour in the U.S.” - a call) department. lot of issues with air pollution and recy- Louis-California Administrative Assistant: “Epic...the ride of a lifetime” - David-Florida cling, etc. and so forth. So I got caught LM: Nixon was in power at the time “Like a bike tour to another planet” - Boris-Russia Lindsay Ross CU: Where do you work? up in that. As a way to reduce air pol- and he was a crook. I had people invite lution, somehow I got involved, I got me into their homes; it was just the •For information: 801-654-1144• cycling utah is published LM: Wasatch Pediatrics. We rent space a little 3-speed. I used to ride around freedom of being on the road. I had eight times a year beginning in the Women’s Center there at St. campus with it instead driving my car never been in a situation where I had in March and continuing Mark’s and then we cover the nursery. around campus. I went off campus with to make a lot of decisions. We had to lagbrau.com it, took little rides with it, and pretty decide every day where we were going monthly through October. CU: When did you initially get involved much that’s how I got started. to eat, where we were going to sleep, with cycling and what led to that? Then I bought a 10-speed at Sears where we were going to go, how far we Annual Subscription rate: where I used to work, and my buddy were going to ride, we had to deal with $15 LM: Good question. Earth Day 1971 to Jeff and I, we would ride these 20 mile the elements. It just gave me this “can (Send in a check to be specific. What lead me into cycling? rides up to New Hope, Pennsylvania, do” attitude. For most people, riding our P.O. Box) No refunds It was a time of change, environmental a little hippie town, if you want to across the United States was no differ- on Subscriptions. awareness. There were protests against call it that. They used to have this ent than flying to the moon. So I had Postage paid in Murray, UT the Vietnam War; a lot of us went to great homemade ice cream parlor way done something that very few people Go Harder • Recover Faster • Ride Longer college to get out of Vietnam. You were before people had these little ice cream ever had done. I came back home • Hyperbaric Chamber Editorial and photographic con- probably the same way. You got a 2-S parlors. almost with a hero’s welcome to some • Cold Laser Therapy tributions are welcome. Send deferment, I assume. Then we ended up riding across the people. It gave you self-confidence, it • Frequency Specific Microcurrent via email to dave@cyclingutah. United States in 1975, Jeff and I, as a • Spinal and extremity alignment changed my personality immensely. I • Oxidative Stress Testing com. Or, send via mail and please CU: I went on a mission for the LDS result of that, I assume. Both of us were was just, I don’t know how to describe • Orthotics include a stamped, self-addressed church and during that time they did bored with our jobs at the time. I was a it, I became more assertive, more confi- • Massage envelope to return unused mate- away with the draft. tax auditor at that time and Jeff had his dent, more independent in what I could 1550 E. 3300 S. Salt Lake City UT 84106 801-486-1818 rial. Submission of articles and Ph.D. in sociology and was teaching at do and what I could not do. I moved www.utahsportsandwellness.com accompanying artwork to LM: And they had a lottery. the Bowling Green and both of us were from New Jersey to here. It would have cycling utah is the author’s bored out of our minds. So we spent 11 been completely unheard of for me warranty that the material is in no way an infringement upon the rights of others and that the mate- rial may be published without additional approval.