First Ride of 2011

We're going to join up with other EBC members for the first ride of the New Year. Pace will probably be 17-18 mph. Here is the  info about the ride posted by Cliff on the Evanston Bike Club listserv


We'll leave Panera Bread around 10:00 a.m. for a leisurely ride down to North Avenue Beach to watch the Polar Bear club take their plunge into Lake Michigan. Please bring your own suit and towel if you plan to participate in the plunge as the club does not provide these. We'll then take a short trip over to Tiparo's for lunch. The weather and streets should be clear though there will be strong winds out of the SW. If the weather takes a drastic turn for the worse, information about the ride will be posted on http://groups.google.com/group/ebclist/topics?gvc=1 by 9:00 am . 

The Last Ride of the Year 2010

Today we did the last ride for the year. It was just Hugo and I. The roads were clear, the traffic was minimal. Bluffington's was open. Lake Bluff's police was busy eating donuts. Both of us made the miles needed to reach the goal for the year on this ride. Now we can sit back and relax and wait for the next year.
Happy New Year!

No One Made You Ride Your Bikes Today

The title to this post was a phrase used by a Lake Bluff police officer as he kicked our group of six riders off of Rockland Road (Rt. 176) and required us to use the very snowy North Shore Bike Path (which runs parallel to 176). After having just navigated this route, I would not recommend riding on the snowy North Shore Bike Path on a road bike to anyone that prefers to stay upright. This mis-adventure with a Lake Bluff police officer followed a failed attempt to spend money in Lake Bluff. The destination for our ride was supposed to be Bluffington's. However, when we got there, we discovered that it was closed for Christmas Eve. Oh well, despite these mis-adventures, it was still a mostly satisfying 45 mile ride. We ended up stopping at Panera Bread and warmed up by their fire. We also had a bit of fun at Martin's expense. He saved 50 grams by not installing a front derailleur on his frame, and when the chain inevitably fell off, he handled our teasing with a fair amount of grace..

Ride Tomorrow 12/24/2010

So far we have Hugo and Martin interested in a ride starting at 09:30 from Panera. We could go to Lake Bluff (Bluffingtons or Panera) and be back before 13:00.

Was Sunday's Ride The Last One for 2010?

Three of us (Felix, Martin, and Randy) took advantage of the break in the cold spell (20+ degrees -- whoo-hoo) on Sunday to get in a ride. We did not leave Panera till 12:40, a few minutes later than planned due to admiring Martin's bike. He has it down to about 17.6 pounds. We only went as far as Ft. Sheridan and it was at a relaxed pace, probably because Martin had already gotten in a work out cross country skiing during the morning. Highlight of the trip may have been a long stop at Starbucks by Ft. Sheridan. No one seemed to be in too big a hurry to get back on their bikes for the trip home.
Correction - Upon reading this post, Martin quickly objected to the weight of his bicycle being grossly overstated. Having lifted it off the ground with just two fingers, I have no doubt that his claim that "it is actually 14.7 pounds with the water bottle cage" is accurate.