ABOUT
George Fero. Ed.D., LCI #5012
I am a career educator and cycling enthusiast. My background is orginally as a music educator in K-12 education. I have served K-12 education as a teacher, department chair, instructional supervisor, assistant superintendent and superintendent. I recently retired from full-time work in higher education as a full professor in educator preparation teaching primarily at the graduate level. Upon retirement I was conferred with the title of Professor Emeritus of Education at McKendree University.
My cycling enthusiasm began at age 8 when my grandmother won a Schwinn bicycle in a local raffle and gave it to me to learn how to ride. I wore that bike out, bought a three-speed JC Higgins with paper route savings and used that bicycle through college. My cycling enthusiasm was re-born in 2008 when I realized that as a diabetic I was gaining too much weight. Walking and running as a form of exercise was not possible at the time due to knee issues, and riding a stationary bike was boring. So I decided to buy a quality bicycle and start riding to work rather than drive the half-mile to my office every day. My first "long" ride was a three mile round trip to a local park.....it took me 45 minutes. Undeterred I kept riding longer and longer eventually losing over 50 pounds. My rides got longer and I felt better. I have taken several long distance, multi-day rides including a 400+ mile RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), the 200+ mile KATY Trail (twice), and the 375 mile Bike Across Missouri (BAM). Between Illinois and Missouri in the Metro St.Louis area I complete weekly organized rides sponsored by TRAILNET and other organizations with distances ranging from 20-50 miles.
I am certified by the League of American Bicyclists as a League Cycling Instructor . I also serve on the boards of directors for Gateway East Trails, a Lebanon based bike/ped advocacy organization, and Ride Illinois, the statewide advocacy organization for Illinois. I also served on the planning committee for the annual American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure St. Louis as Captain of Team Red St. Louis.
