It’s Bike Week 2024 and with the weather turning nicer and nicer, folks are looking to get back out on the roads for a little exercise, and take advantage of the great biking infrastructure we have in Milwaukee. In this month’s Drivers Ed with Debbie, she sits down with a bike expert to see how things are going.

Do you remember your first bike? It was your first feeling of freedom. You thought, now that I have my own transportation, I can go anywhere.

Well, it’s true.

“There is no doubt that bikes help kids explore more and feel, you know, the self-confidence just grows so much more when you are on a bike and the freedom that you get is just parallel to none,” says Owner of Wheel & Sprocket, Amelia Kegel.

She says it truly is a rite of passage for kids as well as parents. I mean, who doesn’t remember running alongside your kid as they finally got rid of those training wheels?

It’s not just about wheels, pedals, and brakes these days.
Kegel says “There is no doubt that the cheapest bicycle is going to be from a department store. But I’ve got to just say, the bikes that you get from a department store are not built to last.”

Most bike shops have upped their game when it comes to selection. Their bikes range from the most economical to the high-end, ultra-competitive $15,000 models for the Ironman races. But it wasn’t always like this. During the height of the pandemic, many shops had an inventory issue.

“There used to be no bikes in bike stores, but if you can see behind me, we are at the best stocking level we’ve actually ever been. [Supply chain] has been an issue, but we’ve navigated it,accordingly. We may not have exactly the right color, the right size, but we have a bike that’ll do what you are looking to do,” explains Kegel.

And with the road improvements specifically for bikes in many municipalities, it’s making things easier to get around in this mode.

But don’t forget, Wisconsin has some of the best bike trails in the country.

Kegel says, “And if you haven’t been on a bike in a while, like this might be the summer for you. We’ve never had better bike infrastructure here in the city. Milwaukee has the Oak Leaf Trail system that’s 120 miles that spans like north, south, east, and west of the city. The connectivity of bike paths has never been better, too.”

Oh, and please remember, if you are on a bike, you are required to follow all the rules of the road, like cars. So stop lights, stop signs, yield signs, and crossing signals all apply to you, too.

It’s all about being predictable. Most car versus bike accidents happen because the driver didn’t know what the biker was about to do. So best to keep all the hand signals and rules you learned as a kid in mind. They still apply. So take some time this week to get in touch with that kid again, and remember this philosophy, good for learning to ride, as well as a metaphor for life:

If you look at the ditch, you go in the ditch. But in this life, if you look at the road, you stay on the road.

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MILWAUKEE — The hits just kept coming and coming Friday against the Chicago White Sox.

Twenty-three in the game, to be exact, for the Milwaukee Brewers.

“It was like they found every hole,” Sox third baseman Danny Mendick said.

The Sox hung around for a while, taking a one-run lead into the seventh. But the Brewers sent 12 batters to the plate while scoring six runs on eight hits in the inning on the way to beating the Sox 12-5 in front of 30,931 at American Family Field.

“We took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh, and they just kept grinding out at-bats,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Putting the ball in play, and they ended up with 20 ground ball base hits and I think 17 of them were singles.

“And just one of those days where everything found a hole.”

The Sox extended their season-high losing streak to nine games, allowing season-highs in runs and hits.

“It’s part of baseball, they took what was given to them,” starter Erick Fedde said. “They tried to hit the ball the other way where there were holes. Some credit to them for sure.

“You don’t accidentally usually get 23 hits but just one of those things. As a pitcher, if you’re trying to limit damage, balls on the ground are usually a good thing.”

The Sox got some big hits early. Paul DeJong homered — his team-leading eighth — and Corey Julks drove in two with a double to give them a 3-1 lead in the third.

The Brewers scored three in the fourth against Fedde, who allowed four runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and four walks in five innings.

“Had traffic all day,” Fedde said. “They made me work. I think just overall they had a lot of good at-bats. They didn’t give anything away. They took good pitches and hit them where there were holes. Tough day.”

The Sox regained the lead with two in the fifth. Gavin Sheets collected an RBI on a sacrifice fly and Korey Lee drove in a run with an infield hit to put the Sox ahead 5-4.

The Sox still held that lead after Michael Soroka struck out two to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth without allowing a run.

But Brice Turang tied the score with an RBI single against Soroka and William Contreras put the Brewers ahead with an RBI single against John Brebbia. Christian Yelich drove in two more with a check-swing double down the third-base line.

Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick also had RBI hits in the inning.

Yelich finished with five hits and five RBIs, sending the Sox to their 13th loss in 14 games.

With a record of 15-43, the White Sox are off to their worst 58-game start in franchise history.

“Of course it’s tough,” Fedde said. “We want to win ballgames. Just keep grinding, piece things together. The bats were good for us today. We scored some runs. On our end as a pitching staff, we’ve just got to be a little better to finish it off.”

Following a huge series win over the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers are set to host the other Chicago team, the White Sox, beginning Friday night.

Tobias Myers takes the hill for the Crew against Erick Fedde for the White Sox. Rhys Hoskins returns from the injured list as Owen Miller is optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Hoskins bats sixth and is the DH with Jake Bauers batting fifth as the first baseman. Brice Turang leads off, followed by regulars William Contreras, Christian Yelich, and Willy Adames.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. on Bally Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.