After mentioning that I have not put my studded tires on Oma yet, I missed them this weekend. Some mild precipitation on Friday night caused patches of black ice to form all around the city.
I had to walk Oma over black ice several times while getting around on Saturday - biking to Logan Square to try on vintage outfits from Holly's Lucite Box for the upcoming Bike Winter Fashion Show (found a gorgeous blue velvet dress), back to Lakeview for Heritage Bicycles' grand opening party (crowded!), and to Wicker Par...
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I consider winter to be more than half-way over around this time, late January/early February. February is usually brutal, but at least I know spring is around the corner. This year, November, December, and now January have passed with only a few super freezing days and two noteworthy snowfalls that melted quickly. I haven't even put studded tires on Oma yet.
By enjoying this extremely mild winter, I feel like I've gotten away with something major, like a jewelry heist. I almost don't want to write this ...
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Six inches of snow fell on Chicago yesterday afternoon and evening. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had no intention of cycling in that mess. My plan was to take the L train, but a co-worker mentioned that she and a friend carpool along a route that passes by my L stop. She offered to pick me up anytime and I gladly accepted the offer. The car is already on the road anyway.
In the morning, I walked a block to the L station and a couple of minutes later she pulled up. I sank into the heated passenge...
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The inevitable has happened: snow finally arrived in Chicago! Yesterday evening I was biking home without a jacket and today the streets look like this:
Instead of my bike, I took public transit:
I'm escaping to Nashville for a long weekend tomorrow, so I can deny the arrival of winter a little bit longer. :)
Anyone enjoy a snow ride today?
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As I mentioned last week, my friend Elizabeth (of Bike Commuters) and I got together for a midday joyride recently. During lunch, I cycled to her office and then we set off together down the nearby Lakefront Trail.
A few miles later, we arrived at our arbitrary destination, the Field Museum.
We battled a fierce headwind on the way there and we were both a bit overheated from working so hard. I even took my sweater off, although it was not quite 60 degrees out.
Joyfully, we had a tailwin...
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My premature spring fling with Betty Foy has come to an end.
After today's snow, I will be resuming use of Oma and her studded tires for the foreseeable future. Betty Foy has been shoved back into storage, but I sure enjoyed the few days she and I spent together!
P.S. Check it out - Mr. Dottie and Sir Raleigh popped up on Bike Commuters today. :-)
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Someone asked me last week if I had any bikey Valentine's Day plans with Mr. Dottie. I answered, "No, we're just going to dinner at our favorite French restaurant, Bistrot Margot."
Then I thought for a second and amended that answer with, "Well, of course, we'll be riding our bikes there."
Bicycling is such an ingrained part of our lives - it's always there somewhere. But unlike driving or taking public transit, biking is not simply another mundane transportation option. It's fun and adds something...
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After whining about winter on Monday, I left my bike at home and took the L train to work two days in a row. That sounds ridiculous in hindsight - two days in a row - but I really needed a short break from winter biking. The trick to enjoying life on two wheels is not to make bicycling feel like an obligation. As such, on the rare occasions when I feel burned out, I back off. By this morning, I was champing at the bit to get back in the saddle (uh, too many mixed horse metaphors?).
Sure, the tempe...
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The women-who-bike brunch continues to grow each month, to my great delight. The fourth official brunch last Sunday was the biggest yet, with 20 women attending. This was after 6 people sent their condolences due to the inches of fresh falling snow that greeted us in the morning. Quite a few of us, including me, opted for public transportation due to the weather, but the important part was gathering together and talking with cool women, no matter how we traveled on that particular day.
By the time sunny spring...
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I'm still annoyed by winter, but I'll think back to happier times: Friday, when I biked to work and then took a joyride to the lakefront during my lunch break.
This was two days post-blizzard. Access to the trail is through an underpass below Lakeshore Drive and this was the most difficult section to manage due to the snow, as only a narrow path was shoveled and not very well.
Once I emerged on the other side, the plowed bike path pleasantly surprised me. I biked a ways up and down the pat...
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