Mark Stuttgen of Martinsville readies his bike for a ride. Shaylan Owen | INstride

» Photo gallery: Martinsville's Stuttgens

A bicycle attached to a tree sits in the front yard of Mark and Joanne Stuttgen’s home in Martinsville’s historic district.

Although that bike is decorative, the Stuttgens’ eight bicycles stored in their garage are an important part of the their active lifestyle.

Mark Stuttgen, a 56-year-old computer service technician, was active in amateur bicycle racing in the 1970s and 1980s while living in northwest Wisconsin. In 1984, he rode in the 1,200-kilometer Paris-to-Brest-to-Paris run, a 2½ day journey.

Although the Stuttgens don’t take on such extreme challenges these days, Joanne, president of the Morgan County Historic Preservation Society, and Mark are active cyclists.

“The nice thing about bicycling is it’s less stressful on the joints than running,” he said. “You can ride until you die. ... It’s something to do for any person, no matter what are their abilities.”

Mark Stuttgen organizes an annual Morgan County ride in early July called “The Cemetery Tour.” It departs from the Morgan County Courthouse in Martinsville and the route winds from the courthouse to Centerton, Brooklyn, Mahalasville and Morgantown. The total route is 50 miles, but there are shorter versions of 15 and 30 miles for those who prefer the lesser distances.

“It’s called the Cemetery Tour because we take riders by as many cemeteries as possible,” he said. The cemeteries reflect considerable county history and they are filled with fascinating art, Stuttgen said.

“You want to have a theme to a bike ride,” Stuttgen said.

“Pie rides” was a theme when the Stuttgens joined other riders when they lived in Wisconsin. That led to a series of books by Joanne Stuttgen. (See story, page 7)

Although the Stuttgens haven’t gone on pie rides in Indiana, there are many other opportunities for riders in Morgan County, he said. Many people come from Indianapolis and elsewhere in central Indiana to bicycle in the county.

“One nice thing about living in Morgan County is you can go in any direction and you’re in the country,” Stuttgen said. “There are more hills and more scenery and less traffic.

“It’s a beautiful county and some people don’t realize that.”

Active bicycling can change how one approaches life, Stuttgen said.

“You can use a bicycle for fun and for transportation instead of driving a car at the drop of the hat.”

Beginning cyclists, Stuttgen said, should start by visiting a bicycle shop and describing to the sales person how they plan to use a bike. A bicycle can cost from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

In addition to buying the bike, beginners should acquire a helmet to go along with shorts, a jersey and possibly cycling shoes. Riders can wear regular shoes, but cycling shoes fit exactly on the pedals, he said.

Stuttgen is active in the Central Indiana Bicycle Association, which tries to assist beginning cyclists and has a mentoring program. The association has 2,000 members. Its Web site is www.cibaride.org.

'Pie Rides' led to series of books

The “pie rides” that Mark and Joanne Stuttgen took while living in Wisconsin have led to four books, with another in the works.

Joanne Stuttgen is the author of “Café Wisconsin,” which was first published in 1993. A second edition was issued in 2004. She’s also the author of “Café Indiana” and co-author “Café Wisconsin Cookbook.”

Stuttgen is collecting recipes for “Café Indiana Cookbook” and co-author Jolene Ketzenberg is testing the recipes. That book is scheduled to be published in 2010.

Stuttgen said a group of bicyclists would go on weekend rides and look for a café or other eatery while touring the Wisconsin countryside.

“I had a friend who said someone should write a book” that would list and describe cafés, she said.

The pie rides are a tradition among Wisconsin bicyclists, Stuttgen said. Groups of as many as 300 people bicycle to small towns and eat at cafés.

The Stuttgens moved to Indiana in 1990.

“Café Indiana” was published in 2007. Like “Café Wisconsin,” the Indiana book isn’t just about Indiana cafés, but the culture of and the people drawn to those cafés. Unlike in preparation for the Wisconsin book, however, there were no pie rides in Indiana.