Cycling in Chicago

Cycling in Chicago?

Are you thinking I'm nuts?

Isn't it flat there? Well... Illinois is called "The Prairie State". Most hills here max out at a 30-foot climb over a tenth of a mile -- unless you travel to the northwestern corner of the state (such as Jo Daviess county).

And it's "The Windy City", right? Yes, but that nickname came about because of our politicians. Although in the spring and fall it seems as if every breeze is a brisk headwind.

What about the rest of the weather? One joke has it there are only two seasons in Chicago -- winter and road construction. There are some diehard types who bike year round. Because of several mild stretches in the last two winters I've managed to ride my bike outdoors at least once a month for over three years.

OK ... traffic?? There is a lot of it!! But you don't see that many driver/car combinations looking like they really belong in Boston, New York, Rome, New Delhi, Hong Kong, or some alien world megalopolis. Read John Forester's excellent book Effective Cycling (MIT Press, 6th edition, 1993), and put what he says into practice. You must act as much like a vehicle as possible -- stop at stoplights, ride in the center of the lane or as far to the right (in the lane) as practicable, and wear a helmet!. Also spin!!!

My normal ride season is March to November, but I look for opportunities in December, January and February. The key to riding in the cooler months is dressing appropriately -- and the newer polypropylene/synthetic fabrics make possible some excellent garments from stores such as Eddie Bauer.

A second key is finding yourself a bike club. I joined the Chicago Cycling Club (CCC) shortly after it was founded in 1994. The primary interest of the club is sport touring. There are enough riders with experience that you find yourself going on rides when the temperature is in the 40s but it is otherwise a beautiful day.

Actually, the third largest city in the US is easily the most accessible of the large cities to anybody who wants to bike.

The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (CBF) sponsors a non-competitive ride in the middle of June called "The Boulevard-Lakefront Tour" -- or "BLT" for short. This is approximately 35 miles and you ride along much of the historic boulevard system through many of the city's neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods are ones you might not normally consider visiting but the people are friendly and there are many pleasant surprises in a city known for its architecture.

The CBF also publishes a map (about $6 -- less if you're a member) covering most of the six counties of northeastern Illinois (and a little of northwestern Indiana). The map highlights many roads deemed acceptable for cycling. Many of these are well-maintained roads which run close to more heavily used expressways. As a result there are virtually no places in Chicagoland where the bicyclist will learn "you can't get there from here."

When I joined CCC I quickly learned there was no such thing a good cue sheet for a ride. At least there was nothing I saw from our many novice club members and few experienced riders. And I have not seen any from the sponsored rides I've ridden which impressed me.

I thought about what is necessary. I wanted a consistent format -- one where you could look in the same position for street name, directions of travel, distance and notes. I also thought it would be nice to possibly have one or two descriptive and/or informational fields for the ride as a whole -- and it would be nice if I could do it on a computer and print it out. I started playing with a design in HyperCard on the Mac. The snapshot below is the first page of one of my typical rides.

I used the program to plot several rides I've led for the CCC. Almost every comment I've gotten for the printed cue sheets is favorable. Admittedly, most people don't say anything.

If you like the appearance of the sample, the HyperCard stack is available for $20. Required is a Macintosh (or Apple Mac compatible) capable of running HyperCard 2.2 (if you don't have HyperCard 2.2 or higher, please indicate you would like the HC Player version). A version in SuperCard (with a corresponding player) is in the works; therefore, there might even be a version for those of you challenged by the Wintel world. Write a check payable to O.M.S. and mail it to O.M.S, P.O. Box 154, Winnetka, IL 60093-0154; add $5 for shipping and handling if you want a diskette (which will include about 20 rides -- mostly in the Chicago area) or give me an e-mail address (this stack will be sent as an attachment and probably include more rides). Allow up to four weeks for me to pick up my mail, deposit your check, and get everything sent back to you.