ScottM
Taxi to Parking
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2005
- Messages
- 42,529
- Location
- Variable, but somewhere on earth
- Display Name
Display name:
iBazinga!
Today in the Chicago area a new tollway opened. It is called the Veteran's Tollway and is an extension of the 355 from I-55 to I-80. I am happy as it means less time driving through Chicago traffic when I have to go to Indiana but that is not the point of this post.
To celebrate the opening of the new road the Illinois Tollway Authority allowed bicycles to ride on the tollway prior to opening it to vehicle traffic. This morning, after getting up at 0500, I got to ride my bike on the tollway and not have to worry about being run over by motor vehicles.
For as wonderful as yesterday's weather was, today's was miserable. Low ceilings, scattered rain, winds 8-15 knots and temps in the middle 30's.
I dressed warm.
Many layers were used. I ride year round so I have an idea of what clothes to wear. I had bike shorts, long underwear, and thermal wind tights with wool knee high socks, and a long sleeve winter weight jersey. I wore my winter boots and had a wind shell with a polartec neck gator and skull cap on. I was warm enough. It was also the first ride on the winter bike for the season and it was fun to pull it out and get it set up for the season.
The ride was fun, there were over 5000 riders and we had pretty much full access to the tollway there was a bus lane with very slow moving school buses with dignitaries in them. There were also a lot of motorcycle riding vets that had pulled off the side of the road to wave at us. We had a good time even though a lot of the ride was up hill into the strong winds. I only averaged about 10mph over the 20 mile course. Between the wind and wearing all them clothes I was doing ok. There were people out there that are not used to riding like that and only had sweat pants on and light jackets. They must have been very uncomfortable.
Here are a few pics including one of my bike. What is fun is that it was so dark the flash kept going off on my camera and lighting up all the reflectors that were around. When you see me by my bike it is as if I am glowing. Since I ride in the winter and at night I like lots of reflectors and my jacket has them built into the fabric.
To celebrate the opening of the new road the Illinois Tollway Authority allowed bicycles to ride on the tollway prior to opening it to vehicle traffic. This morning, after getting up at 0500, I got to ride my bike on the tollway and not have to worry about being run over by motor vehicles.
For as wonderful as yesterday's weather was, today's was miserable. Low ceilings, scattered rain, winds 8-15 knots and temps in the middle 30's.
I dressed warm.
Many layers were used. I ride year round so I have an idea of what clothes to wear. I had bike shorts, long underwear, and thermal wind tights with wool knee high socks, and a long sleeve winter weight jersey. I wore my winter boots and had a wind shell with a polartec neck gator and skull cap on. I was warm enough. It was also the first ride on the winter bike for the season and it was fun to pull it out and get it set up for the season.
The ride was fun, there were over 5000 riders and we had pretty much full access to the tollway there was a bus lane with very slow moving school buses with dignitaries in them. There were also a lot of motorcycle riding vets that had pulled off the side of the road to wave at us. We had a good time even though a lot of the ride was up hill into the strong winds. I only averaged about 10mph over the 20 mile course. Between the wind and wearing all them clothes I was doing ok. There were people out there that are not used to riding like that and only had sweat pants on and light jackets. They must have been very uncomfortable.
Here are a few pics including one of my bike. What is fun is that it was so dark the flash kept going off on my camera and lighting up all the reflectors that were around. When you see me by my bike it is as if I am glowing. Since I ride in the winter and at night I like lots of reflectors and my jacket has them built into the fabric.
When they opened the Westpark Tollway here in Houston, they did the same thing. My better half rode, as she's been cycling for years (including riding in the MS150 from Houston to Austin the past 4 years running, and about to do her fifth). Really cool to be able to do that, though.
