Inauguration Day, Winter Bike to Work Day, My Lucky Day!

Posted on 20 January 2009 | By Dottie |No Comments

HAPPY OBAMA DAY!

So much good stuff in one day! First, of course, is Obama as our new president!! I’m still pinching myself, it seems almost too wonderful. (Hey, shocker, we at Let’s Go Ride a Bike are liberals!) On November 4, 2008, I had a ticket to Grant Park and it was a magical night. After Obama’s speech, my bike and I joined an impromptu parade down Michigan Avenue, a street I never ride on due to the high speeds and heavy traffic. Tonight on my way home I stopped to take a picture of the pretty city lights over the park and only then realized the “OBAMA” lights. Perfect.

Cold Weather Cycling Outfit

Second, today was Chicago’s Winter Bike to Work Day, organized by the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation). I wore my work clothes on my bike (except I later changed from the snow boots to knee-high black suede flat boots) – a red turtleneck, black and white checked knee-length skirt, argyle knee-socks, wool leggings, and wool overcoat. A photographer from the Tribune took my picture and wrote down my name and age, so maybe I’ll make it into the paper again. That would be fun.

The turnout was much smaller than I expected, with no more than 15 people while I was there (including the volunteers). The summer Bike to Work day rally had hundreds of participants, with a speech by Mayor Daley. This confirmed what I’ve been noticing the past 2 months – the amount of commuters drops drastically once the cold rolls in.

Here’s an article that cites 100 total riders (over the course of the 2.5 hours, I assume).

Chicago's Winter Bike to Work Day

Today was a lovely day for Bike Winter day, with two inches of freshly fallen (and still falling) snow and 14 degree temperatures. There was coffee, hot cocoa, cheese cake, and mingling.  A small group gathered around me to ask about my bike. She was a big hit. Another guy there had a vintage Dutch bike, which was way cool.

Snowy Chicago Bike Garage

After about 15 minutes of coffee and light conversation, I made my way a few blocks down to my usual parking spot, the Millennium Park Bike Center.

Chicago Skyline

Finally, later I received an email that I won the raffle to win a new Schwinn rear light from the Bike Winter rally. I’ve never won a raffle before. So, it’s my lucky day

Related posts:

1. A Secret to Winter Bike Commuting Here is a secret to winter bike commuting: it’s not...
2. Chicago's Bike to Work Week – June 13-19 Around here every week is bike-to-work week, but Chicago’s official...
3. The Winter Cycling Community While I was taking this shot, hunched over Betty Foy...
4. Chicago’s Bike to Work Day Despite our focus on the simple side of cycling –...
5. A Peek at Winter Riding This week has been a blur of bike commuting with...

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Comments

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• editrish says:

  20 January 2009 at 10:42 pm

  Yay for winning! You’ll have to blog about your new light. Also, nice shots of the Obama buildings.

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• meligrosa says:

  25 January 2009 at 12:19 am

  nice pictures and love your outfit♥!!
  Im liking that previous post sunrise as well
  ride on! xo.meli

  Reply to this Comment