Wannabe Cyclist
Awhile ago, Erin and I decided to spend this Saturday together (and our husbands conveniently planned to work on the project car together that same day!). We didn’t have any set plans figured out, so on Friday I put together a bike ride idea to send to Erin. I hit send, then refreshed my inbox, and got a proposed bike ride route from Erin! Ha ha. Some of our routes were even the same! Great minds think alike!
We ended up combining our two rides for a fun tour of four (five?) trails with some planned (and not planned!) stops.
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Not Planned:
Lemonade stand on a trail/road intersection. Not planned but delicious and absolutely necessary. The stand appeared to be run by a brother/sister team. I commend them for getting along. And being so polite and cute.
Not Planned:
Red-Winged Blackbird Habitat Sign. Britt was recently attacked by red-winged black birds, and a I can commiserate, so I had to take a pic of this sign to send to her.
Planned:
Chicago Botanical Gardens. This was Erin’s brilliant idea! There was an art show there this weekend, and we decided to check that out, as well as the gardens. It was a beautiful, three-hour stop on our ride! And funny thing is, our husbands were worried about us riding in the heat, but Erin and I noticed how pleasant it was when we were there. We checked the temp and it had dropped 10 degrees since we started! Lucky us!
The gardens are even more amazing than I recall. And it’s amazing that entry is free (it costs $$ to park – but not if you are on your bike!).
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Not planned:
Riding through Ravinia. So odd how the Green Bay Trail / Robert McClory Bike Path goes through parking lots. You feel like you are lost… until you get to the end of the parking lot and see signs for the trail again. We meandered through Ravinia, when people were arriving for a concert. I wonder what the show was!
Not planned:
Seeing Lake Michigan. We got off course but were rewarded with a nice view of the Lake!
Planned:
Beautiful Trails! We rode the Des Plaines River Trail, the North Shore Bike Path, the Skokie Valley Bike Path, the Green Bay Trail, and the Robert McClory Bike Path (which I thought was what the Green Bay Trail was, oops). The trails took us through a variety of landscapes – wooded, prairie, residential, commercial. It was fun to see it all!
Photo by Erin
Planned:
Pit Stops! Ha ha. I knew I would need to eat and drink a lot to feel energized (especially after a long run in the am) so when we came upon our turn back on to the North Shore Bike Path (which is not marked at all, see below), I busted out the fig newtons.
Photo by Erin
Planned:
Finishing! 41 miles at just under 11.0 mph. Decent for me being on a mountain bike… and biking there and back in to the wind (how does it always turn out that way?).
Now to explain that title. Who is the wannabe cyclist? Well, it’s not Erin! It’s me! My biking skills are very limited. Like I said, I have a mountain bike. I rejoice when I remember my bike gloves, and bring enough with me to eat and drink. I know how to put my chain back on when it comes off. I don’t have a pump for my tires and would not know how to fix a flat. I can’t even remember which wheel to put my lock through when I lock it up (the front one). I’m slow. I don’t have shoes that clip on to my pedals.
But! I still love to ride! And I am up for crazy adventures like this! Erin and I had a ton of fun, and we are planning on doing it again. I really miss our long run time from last summer, where we chatted for hours on end and pushed each other through tough runs. This is a great alternative to that (and less painful!).
And this was a new bike PDR (personal distance record) for me!
What is the furthest you’ve ridden your bike? Do you feel like a real cyclist or a wannabe cyclist?
Themocracy
The furthest I’ve ridden was the 55 mile ride a couple weeks ago I told you about earlier this weekend. I’m starting to feel like a real cyclist, but the weather plays a lot into whether I ride or not. I’d like to get my average speed up though. Most rides, I average 12-13MPH. I had one ride I got up to an average of 17MPH. I just got a book of trails around Ohio and Indiana from my father-in-law, so maybe I’ll be getting out a little more now.
I purchased a serious bicycle this year, so I think I’m on the right path to being a serious cyclist.
And…I just had to say I know what you mean about always riding out and back into the wind. It never fails. The worst is when it is into the wind and uphill both directions.
What is the book you got? I got this cool one for Chicago called “WheretoBike Chicago” with maps of the entire Chicagoland area!
Not sure I’ve been on a bike since middle school. But seeing posts like this makes me *almost* want to give it a try…
Awesome ride! I am a wannabe cyclist too, except I never cycle. I was looking at your map and we have a highland park here too!
I feel like a wannabee!!! I’m not sure how to put my chain back on… I always just ask Rich! Lol
Before running, I started out cycling with Team in Training. TNT is an amazing organization, they got through me through my first century ride, but oddly enough I can never figure out how to put air in my tires without deflating them first. 🙂
Nice ride! I’ve always wondered about the trail that goes to the Botanic Gardens. The trail that I take up from the city connects to it, but the furthest I’ve made it is up to Golf Road, by Old Orchard Mall. Round trip, this is 17 miles, which would be my longest ride. But my goal is to bike up to the gardens sometime this summer (even if my bike and I have to ride the Metra home!).
And don’t worry about your gear or anything. I’ve put about 250 miles on my bike in the last year, and it’s a retro-style cruiser that I often ride in skirts and flip flops 🙂
I hope you get to bike to the gardens! We really loved it! And the cafe has good food too 🙂
I wanna ride with you guys! Looks like fun.
We should set something up when we are all free! Sometime in August?
Sounds like you two had a great bike ride. Hope the birds were not too agressive.
We did not have any bird issues! 🙂
I had SO MUCH FUN! And, hey, you’re already ahead of me in bike repair knowledge. I’m not sure I’d know what to do if my bike chain came off.
Distance cycling is like distance running in many aspects. It takes awhile to figure out when and what to fuel with and to be able to build up speed. It just has that added piece of also having a large piece of equipment to worry about!
Ahhhh… I really, really, really want to buy a bike! I think it would be such a fun way to get exercise! I definitely fall in the wannabe category. There are just a few places to ride (safely!) in my town and they are all 30+ minutes away so it’s not something I could do on a weekday. But it would be a fun weekend activity! 🙂
I think the farthest is up and down Key West on a bike tour, ha! I’m not sure how far we biked but we stopped a LOT so it probably doesn’t even count. 😉 It was still fun and reinforced my need to buy a bike SOON!
Looks like a fun, fun day though! Yay!
What a fun day!! We have plans to explore the “north side” to the paths we biked on Sunday … definitely want to make our way up to the Botanical Gardens one day!!
I bet Gavin would love the gardens! 🙂 Has he already been there?
That looks like so much fun. I love riding my bike but don’t do it often enough. I have a mtn bike too. I need someone local who would want to ride with me!! I think the furthest I’ve ever been is 24 miles. We used to hit up a canal tow path near where I grew up and do an out and back from time to time. It was flat and easy.
I think that the farthest I’ve ever run was 20 miles, on a borrowed bike which was a little too big for me nonetheless. I am not much of a cyclist. It always looks fun from the outside, but from the inside it’s just a pain in the butt. Figuratively and literally 🙂 I would love to try mountain biking actually, but with my coordination, or lack thereof, I’m scared of the outcome.
That’s a pretty awesome day trip!
Well I have a bike, no helmet and I have yet to be on it in years.
41 miles is awesome! My longest recent ride was 50 miles.
WTG! Do you have a mountain, road or hybrid? Or maybe a cruiser? 🙂
I don’t know why I continue to identify myself as a runner instead of a cyclist when I am actually much better on the bike than running. The bike portion of triathalons is always my farthest. And my whole body doesn’t ache after a long bike ride like it does after a long run. I did a century a few years ago, and did a 220 mile 3 day charity ride for 5 years in a row.
Awesome! You should post some biking tips!!! 🙂
Looks like an awesome ride! I’m glad to see you getting out on the bike – and it’s no issue to be on a mountain bike! I’m impressed you did that distance!
We should begin to post cycling tips – I need to work on my handling.
You should post cycling tips! I want to know gearing strategies 🙂 Or is that what handling is? See – I don’t even know!
That sounds like an awesome day! I have to admit I’m a wannabe cyclist – I’ve been cross training on my bike on the trainer in my basement – but I should really get out and find a good trail…
What a great ride! And well done doing that on a mountain bike. That’s no joke!
I’m actually jealous – I feel like most of my rides these days have such a specific purpose (TRAIN!) that I don’t get to just enjoy them. It’s taken me a while to feel like a *real* cyclist, but I’m getting there. Spinning classes have actually helped me a lot with strength and speed.
I am quickly becoming a wanna be cyclist. While I will always be a runner at heart, more and more often I find myself yearning to go out for a 30+ mile ride instead of even a 3 mile run!
That sounds like a fabulous day! What are the red-winged blackbirds so aggressive about?
They’re very territorial and protective of their nests. So they must have babies right now 🙂
Love the pictures! Sounds like you had an incredible adventure filled with great explorations! I am still amazed that you ran 16 miles before going on that 41-mile bike ride. YOU ARE A POWERHOUSE!!!!!
I am a total wannabe cyclist. Sadly, my bike has been sitting in storage since last summer. Its tires are flat now, and even though it’s almost mid-July I STILL haven’t gotten around to pumping them back up. Sigh.
Didn’t you have some biking on your summer to do list?