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California Weather Comes to Tinley Forest Perserve Near Chicago in March, 2012!

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nature and Stress, tagged , , , on March 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Everyone in Chicago is remarking how unusually warm the weather is this march. We are experiencing 80 degree F  days and sun, sun, sun. Not your usually March fare for us Northerners. But this Sunday. my man and I took advantage of the lovely weather and grabbed our bikes for our first bike ride of the season…at Tinley Creek Forest Preserves. Tinley Creek has a paved bike trail and the Red loop is about 9 miles. You can add a route to other nearby Forest Preserves for a longer ride or you can bike a portion of the loop for a shorter ride if you need to.

We did the full loop and my odometer showed we did a reasonably long ride for our maiden voyage: 10.88 miles. Not bad and  nice way to warm up the body after the winter!

BMX biking at Tinley Creek Forest Preserves. Image by J. Porys.

The Red loop was our bike trail. About 9 miles for the entire loop at Tinley Creek Forest Preserves. Image by J. Porys.

The wind in my hair, the path is clear, I take my first ride of the year at Tinley Creek! Image by J. Porys.

Buds on the trees, a slow moving stream, green grass growing tall and proud. It feels like California, but it's Chicago in March! Image by J. Porys.

Tinley's bike trail crosses a few sturdy bridge, I slant into the curves of the path. Image by J. Porys.

Clear blue skies with a hint of clouds in Tinley gives us a scenic ride. Image by Sue Shekut.

I hope off my bike to take more pics! (and let my glut muscles catch a break from the bike seat!) My photographer boyfriend does his best to capture the scene form his angle. Image by Sue Shekut.

As the sun sets, it sends shards of light into this forest, making it look almost haunted! Image by Sue Shekut.

Total Miles biked = 10.88 by the time we reached our car. Image by Sue Shekut

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Looking to Learn More About Outdoor Adventure Gear? Check Out REI’s Expert Advice

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

There are a lot of different places you can get active outdoor gear. I like Amazon. com for the wide selection of items you can get from all over the country. But you can’t touch or test gear sold on Amazon, you can only read other people’s reviews. Sometimes that’s enough. Other times I want to go into a store and see and get a feel for items I buy such as camping gear, tools, GPS systems and bicycle equipment. And it’s helpful to have a seasoned expert tell me about the gear right then and there to help me make better decisions about the tools and equipment I buy to keep me active. At REI, they now added  videos and articles for shoppers to review basic information about active outdoor gear.

Dubbed REI Active Advice, the REI website has a page which links to how to videos, articles and more.  And they have a new REI Expert advice for families to help parents learn ways to incorporate outdoor activities into family time.

Check Out REI Expert Advice for Families

Watch an REI Expert Video

REI experts give you helpful tips, techniques and ideas to show you how to have great outdoor adventures and which gear you’ll need.  Some of the current videos include:

Video: How to Transport Your Boat by CarHow to Transport Your Boat by Car

Articles By REI Experts

REI and guess share expert advice on how to choose and maintain outdoor gear as well as how to  have fun and stay safe on your next outdoor adventure.  Current topics include:

How to Choose Wool Clothing

REI Expert Gear Checklist

REI’s website lets you print out a gear checklist to help you keep track of the details for your next adventure, including:

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Check Out a Great Bike Shop-Richard’s Bikes

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , on June 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

In the city of Chicago there is Kozy’s and Village Cycle. But for my money, for a great bike or great bike repairs, I head out to the burbs to Richard’s Bikes in Palos Heights (aka RBikes). What’s so great about Richard’s Bikes?  They have great prices and great service! They aren’t as busy as the city bike stores and they really take their time with your bike. They also sell a wide range of high quality bikes

RBikes Address:
11933 S Harlem Avenue, Palos Heights, IL 60463
Phone: 708 448 8260 Fax: 708 448 7381<

Store Hours: Mon – Thur 10-8; Fri – Sat 10-5; Su 11-2

RBikes website has a great set of tips about bicycling here. Below I’ve excerpted the list of topics with some of the post tiles. Go to the weblink for the complete list.

Equipment Know-How

Family Cycling

Fit & Comfort

Health & Fitness

Maintenance & Repair

Riding Technique

Sharing The Road

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Get Linked In to Other Bicyclists with the Chain Link

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , on May 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Bicycle Bike Rack
Image by VeloBusDriver via Flickr

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapists, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

While taking part in the Climate Cycle Ride on  May 15, I was fortunate to stop by one of the booths and speak to a representative of thechainlink, a Chicago bicycling Online Community. According to the organization’s website” the chainlink is a one-stop resource for Chicago cyclists to find rides and routes, share information and connect with other cyclists.”

The site lists upcoming rides and events and provides forums for discussion. The forums have great info like what to do if your bike is stolen, info about helmets, front rack recommendations, info about police officers giving bicycle riders tickets for not obeying traffic rules and so on. I really enjoyed  reading some of the posts and comments from area bikers. Overall, it seems like a very useful site if you bike int he city or surrounding area.

Leah, the founder, explains why she set up this site:

the chainlink is a place for Chicago bikers of all types to connect, find rides and routes, and share information. the chainlink was created because even though Chicago is a big biking city, it’s a fragmented community, and there was no one resource that served the needs of bikers. My hope is that this site will allow bikers in Chicago and surrounding areas to connect with each other, explore the area through interesting rides and routes, find the resources they need, and most of all, bring a sense of community to Chicago biking. So join a ride, start a conversation on the forum or find a riding buddy – everything you do here will strengthen Chicago’s biking community.

the chainlink is very much a work in progress and I absolutely welcome your feedback. Please feel free to drop me a note with any comments and suggestions – you’ll be helping the chainlink grow and better serve the community.

Thanks for being a part of biking in Chicago!

Leah
creator, the chainlink

P.S. What are you waiting for?
– Looking to do a distance ride this season? Click here to find a long ride in the Rides & Events section.
– Have a question, piece of news, or just looking to sell something? Post it in the Forum here.
– Know someone who might like this site? Invite them to the chainlink by clicking here.

Comment Sample

Here is an example of an interesting comment line. A poster was angry because a cop gave him a ticket for riding his bike through a red light.  Other posters chimed in and gave his advice when he wondered if he should fight the ticket:
“Good luck – you ran a red light. We expect cars to stop for them so they don’t kill us. If you want to be treated like you are traffic, act like you are traffic.”

“You entered the intersection on a red and that is illegal; if you saw a car do it would you want a cop to issue them a ticket?

This is a great example of why there needs to be bike specific laws.

It is also a great example of the fact that if you want to share the road and have laws enforced for cars you need to be prepared to have laws enforced for bicycles.”

Check out the site here!

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Spring Means Bikes Own Lake Shore Drive on May 30!

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , on May 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Bike the Drive

At least for one day, Chicago bicyclers will have Lake Shore Drive all to themselves. On May 30, 2010, the city closes Lake Shore Drive to motor vehicles so that thousands can ride their bicycles along the “Drive.”

According to the website: MB Financial Bank’s Bike the Drive provides you with hours of bicycling nirvana. Cruise up and down the entire length of Chicago’s famous Lake Shore Drive without a car in sight! Pedal as fast or slow as you want – it’s your ride! Take in the striking skyline as you breeze along sparkling Lake Michigan.  Whether you are a racing star or you are bringing your family for a leisure ride, the MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive is the perfect way to kick off your Chicago summer!

Bike the Ride Schedule

5:30 a.m.: Lake Shore Drive will open to bicyclists, upon police approval

9 a.m.: Bicyclists may not enter Lake Shore Drive; participants must be north of Randolph Street or south of Roosevelt Road

9:15-9:45 a.m.: Volunteers will help participants safely move to the Lakefront Trail, which they can take back to the post-ride festival

10:30 a.m.: Car traffic resumes on Lake Shore Drive

Cost

Standard Registration fee is $45

If you sign up for a Premium registration for $63, you also get a one year membership to *Active Transportation Alliance.

Gold Package – only $75!

  • MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive – May 30, 2010
  • Boulevard Lakefront Tour – Aug. 29, 2010
  • One-year Active Trans membership

Platinum Package only $100!

  • MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive – May 30, 2010
  • Boulevard Lakefront Tour – Aug. 29, 2010
  • Bike Town Bash – Dec. 5, 2010
  • One-year Active Trans membership

More info on Registration packages and discounts here.

BiketheRide Start Location: Columbus and Jackson downtown Chicago

What’s New This Year

Helmet rental
Bike and Roll Chicago, the official bicycle rental company for MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive, is offering participants discounts on bike rentals. Rentals include a bike, helmet, lock and riding map. Helmets – which are required for the event – are also available for rental or for purchase. Find details here.

Getting your packet has never been more convenient!
Choose one of these many options so you can have everything you need for the big day.

  • Premium We can mail you your packet, including your 2010 MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive T-shirt, for only $3.75
  • Standard We can mail you your packet, with a voucher for your event T-shirt, for just $.75
  • Self Pickup Stop by any of the packet pickup locations in the weeks leading up to Bike the Drive for free. Pickup time and locations are coming soon. We plan to have even more convenient locations this year.

Route checkpoints
We want to make sure that the MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive is attended by paying participants only. The registration fee pays for the supplies and cost of the event, which is our largest fundraiser. We will ask participants to show their rider numbers and wristbands at checkpoints along the route. Any non-paying participants will be escorted Lake Shore Drive and given the opportunity to register on-site. Thank  you for your patience!

Save on even more biking with our discounted packages
Hold on to your helmet! Our Gold Package and Platinum Package are the best way to save and get even more biking in 2010.

What is the Active Transportation Alliance*?

Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization that works to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit and engage people in healthy and active ways to get around.

For 25 years, we have led the charge for a transportation culture that values safety, health, sustainability and choice. Our expert staff and our committed board of directors are growing choices for transportation like never before.

Formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, we create opportunities for people to move and travel safely, actively and enjoyably every day.

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