Cycling Season is Underway

Summer was slow to get here, but the Cycling Group has been getting more active now that things are warming up.  Rides with a large number of group participants have been hard to schedule, but so far during May and the first week of June there have been at least four activities in which group members have participated.

May 10 -- Ride the Rock

On May 10, Ken and Pat arranged for a few of the group members to convene for the annual Ride the Rock event along the Joliet Junction and Rock Run trails.  Joining them were the three Finck men, plus Eric W.  The distance of that trip is usually around 16 miles, and for their efforts they were rewarded with cheerful green t-shirts!

May 18 -- Renwick and Wheeler

On May 18, Jon and Eric L met at the Mather Woods area along Renwick.  From there they rode west on Renwick/Wheeler to the Au Sable Grove Presbyterian Church on Grove Road, rested a few minutes, then continued a bit farther west to where Renwick (actually Wheeler at that point) dead-ended at Hopkins Road.  Total distance was about 16 miles.

One enjoyable aspect of the trip along Wheeler, besides the wide flat roads and light traffic, is the set of small rapids along the Middle Aux Sable Creek that flows under the road.  So you can see those had to be photographed as well!

May 25 -- Bike the Drive

In the wee hours of the morning (okay, around 7 AM) on Sunday, May 25, the Erics and Jon met at Grant Park in downtown Chicago for the annual Bike the Drive event.  This is the one time all year when Lake Shore Drive is closed to cars for a few hours and cyclists can have dedicated use of this beautiful stretch of road.

As you can see in the ride summary, the entire route stretches from Bryn Mawr on the north end to the Museum of Science and Industry on the south, for a total round-trip distance of just under 31 miles.  After the trip, sustenance and refreshment (especially refreshment) were found at The Beer Market in the Bolingbrook Promenade.

June 7 -- Virgil Gilman Trail

On the afternoon of Saturday, June 7, Jon, Eric L, Scott, and Jake and Charlie (or Charlie and Jake) gathered for a ride on the Virgil Gilman trail.  This really nice route starts just north of the 30/34 intersection near the Montgomery water tower, and terminates at the Waubonsee Community College.  Total round trip distance is about 23 miles (see summary).  During this particular ride we rested for a while at the college so Charlie and Jake (or Jake and Charlie) could enjoy the playground equipment.  How cool that a college has playground equipment, right??  Perhaps it is for the kids of students, but I'd like to think that it could be for the students themselves.

NEXT UP:  Weekend ride on June 14 or 15.  Stay tuned!