Biking Clubs in IL (near Chicago/Northern Burbs)

Hi All,

Does anyone know of a good road biking club near Lincolnshire, IL? I'm just using that as starting
point. Anything within a reasonable driving distance would be considered. I'm interested in meeting
some fellow bikers since I'm relatively new to the area. I've looked on the web and found groups
with older members. I just want to meet some people around my age (23).

Thanks in advance, Keith

 

Check TrailLink.com - among others it lists the Fox River Trail starting in Aurora.

Rockford [email protected]

 

[email protected] (Keith C.) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi All,
>
> Does anyone know of a good road biking club near Lincolnshire, IL? I'm just using that as starting
> point. Anything within a reasonable driving distance would be considered. I'm interested in
> meeting some fellow bikers since I'm relatively new to the area. I've looked on the web and found
> groups with older members. I just want to meet some people around my age (23).
>
> Thanks in advance, Keith

Hey - I'm a little east of you - Evanston. There's quite a few groups that meet to ride down around
here. If you're into fast (28ish) paceline riding, there's an Alberto's group that leaves (I
believe) from their shop in Highland Park http://www.runningright.com/albertosbikes.html For a more
congenial group, and perhaps a little bit slower (25ish paceline?) there's 2cc, a group with a
number of racers that leaves from Judson and Greenleaf in Evanston. http://www.teamjudson.com/ I was
on a ride once that went your direction from Plaza Del Lago in Wilmette (6 on a Sunday), out Lake
Cook then north to Deerfield road, west on there out to Cuba Road (great riding) through Buffalo and
Long Grove and into Lake Zurich. Good luck! Matt

 

15 Feb 2003 23:56:19 -0800, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Keith C.) wrote:

> Anything within a reasonable driving distance would be considered. I'm interested in meeting some
> fellow bikers since I'm relatively new to the area.

It sounds more like you're looking for fellow drivers who play at being cyclists. Ride the damn
bike. That's what it's for.
--
zk

 

>Zoot Katz [email protected]

wrote:

>It sounds more like you're looking for fellow drivers who play at being cyclists. Ride the damn
>bike. That's what it's for.

C'mon Zoot, give the guy a break. He said he's new to the area, looking for clubs, and is *willing*
to drive if he must. Lots of cyclists that enjoy riding with others drive to some rides. RAGBRAI is
a prime example. That doesn't make them (us) bad people or "lesser" cyclists. The day the OP posted
his message the daytime high temps here were in the low 20s. That doesn't sound like someone
"playing" at cycling to me.

Keith- there are dozens of rides and clubs in the area. If you're a technogeek, browse
www.mikebentley.com/bike/ilclubs. Find a club and take a ride. Ask at your LBS about rides. Chances
are you'll find something. Best of luck.

Regards, Bob Hunt

(about 25 miles west of you but one of the old folks... <g>)

 

16 Feb 2003 21:50:19 GMT, <[email protected]>, [email protected]
(Hunrobe) wrote:

>>Zoot Katz [email protected]
>
>wrote:
>
>>It sounds more like you're looking for fellow drivers who play at being cyclists. Ride the damn
>>bike. That's what it's for.
>
>C'mon Zoot, give the guy a break.

What! And soften my image as a curmudgeonly fanatic? uh-uh.

>He said he's new to the area, looking for clubs, and is *willing* to drive if he must. Lots of
>cyclists that enjoy riding with others drive to some rides. RAGBRAI is a prime example. That
>doesn't make them (us) bad people or "lesser" cyclists. The day the OP posted his message the
>daytime high temps here were in the low 20s. That doesn't sound like someone "playing" at
>cycling to me.
>
Thinking one must drive to someplace else to start riding is what many people apparently do judging
from the number of snickers I get over bikes without riders passing me.
--
zk

 

[email protected] (Keith C.) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi All,
>
> Does anyone know of a good road biking club near Lincolnshire, IL? I'm just using that as starting
> point. Anything within a reasonable driving distance would be considered. I'm interested in
> meeting some fellow bikers since I'm relatively new to the area. I've looked on the web and found
> groups with older members. I just want to meet some people around my age (23).
>
> Thanks in advance, Keith

Check into the Evanston Bicycle Club at www.evanstonbikeclub.org

The 2003 ride schedule is about to go up on teh webpages with two or three rides most weekends. From
th ewebsite:

Who are we?

The Evanston Bicycle Club has been a strong presence in Evanston and the North Shore for more than
25 years. Our members are a very diverse group, whose cycling interests range from short
recreational rides to ultra-marathon events, from rides to the coffeehouse to state-wide, week-long
rides, and from loaded touring to criterium racing. No matter where your cycling interests lie, you
can be sure to find one or more EBC members who shares your interests... and you may find yourself
trying new things, thanks to other enthusiastic members.

What do we do?

The club's annual fund-raising event, the North Shore Century, is held on the third Sunday in
September, and has become the most popular invitational ride in the Chicagoland area, attracting
over 1,500 participants. Proceeds from the North Shore Century are used to fund many club activities
as well as those of other cycling organizations. A percentage of the profits are annually
distributed to local, regional, and national bicycle-related organizations. More than

Our "ride season" runs from March through October, and on each weekend we schedule rides to new and
interesting places as well as old familiar haunts. All rides are led by experienced cyclists who
provide cue sheets, helpful hints, and usually guide the group to a locale for brunch or a picnic.
(Okay, "nearly always". Club pundits point out that EBC also stands for Eating Bicycle Club, a name
which our rides - and riders - live up to.)

For the beginning rider we offer a series of novice rides with emphasis on safe group riding skills
and usually at a slower pace. Stronger riders may choose longer and faster rides, with many rides
being century-length (100 miles) and over. We also offer a "Slo-o-ow Century", a sag-supported
100-mile ride designed to allow riders who might not be able to maintain high speeds to complete a
century. We offer multiple rides so that you have a choice of destinations, distances, and pace. In
addition, there are "show 'n' go" rides on Saturdays, Sundays, and some weekdays; our weekend "show
'n' go" schedule runs year-round (as do many of our riders). Our monthly newsletter describes
upcoming rides, and the EBC Hotline provides late-breaking changes in the schedule of events.

Where do we go?

Obviously, being based in the northern suburbs, we have lots and lots of rides in northern Cook and
Lake Counties. However, we also have a good number of "remote start" rides in other parts of
Chicagoland (and beyond). Some of these rides include excursions on the Illinois Prairie Path and
Fox River Trails, trips to nearby festivals, shorter rides in outlying areas, as well as longer
trips to more remote destinations.

EBC also organizes a number of weekend trips; two of our favorite locations are the Elroy-Sparta
State Trail in western Wisconsin, and Camp Wonderland, a convention and retreat center in Camp Lake,
Wisconsin, within easy driving (and riding!) distance of Evanston. Our Elroy-Sparta trip is almost
always scheduled for Labor Day weekend, and features two days of trail and road riding in the Sparta
and Trempeleau areas. Camp Wonderland weekends are scheduled in June and October, and include easy
rides in the southeastern portion of Wisconsin, between Wilmot and Burlington. Dozens of EBCers
participate in the Camp Wonderland weekends, many of them using the preceding Friday to ride the
55-60 miles from Evanston to Camp Lake, and riding back on Sunday.

EBC members also participate in other area rides and events, such as RAGBRAI, GRABAAWR, the Hilly
and Horsey Hundreds, and the National 24-Hour Challenge; EBCers are also active in randonneuring,
with many members participating in brevets, and some members quailifying for, and participating in,
the Paris-Brest-Paris randonnee.

Do we have lives outside of cycling?

In addition to scheduled rides, EBC offers a number of other related social events such as cycling
and ski weekends at Camp Wonderland in Wisconsin, a night at the races at the Northbrook Velodrome,
a summer club picnic, and a progressive-dinner ride. Each year the club subsidizes an annual
recognition and appreciation dinner, an acknowledgement and celebration of the volunteer efforts of
the many members who are responsible for the success of the Evanston Bicycle Club.

We invite you to join us in the joy of cycling... and remind you that when you ride with EBC, you
travel in the best of circles!

 

"Keith C." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All,
>
> Does anyone know of a good road biking club near Lincolnshire, IL? I'm just using that as starting
> point. Anything within a reasonable driving distance would be considered. I'm interested in
> meeting some fellow bikers since I'm relatively new to the area. I've looked on the web and found
> groups with older members. I just want to meet some people around my age (23).
>
> Thanks in advance, Keith

Peruse the clubs available at the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation site:
http://www.chibikefed.org/clubs.htm

or at Mike Bentley's site: http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/ilclubs.htm

I'm a member of the Evanston Bicycle Club, which I like a lot although it is a bit far from
Lincolnshire. I'm also 53, not 23. The Wheeling Wheelmen might be a good geographic choice. Hanging
around the Northbrook Velodrome in the summer is a good place to meet younger biking enthusiasts.

The Velo Club Roubaix rides out of Deerfield and Lake Forest, a little east of Lincolnshire.
http://www.vcrbiketeam.org/

Critical Mass tends to attract a lot of younger cyclists. There's no "Critical Mass Lincolnshire",
but there is one from Daley Plaza Chicago,
5:30 last Friday of every month. They also have an active mailing list, which might be a good place
to ask this question. There's a link to join this list at:
http://www.chicagocriticalmass.org/index1.html You may, or may not, be interested in critical mass
itself; I'm just suggesting a way to find other riders in their 20's, and the other groups they
belong to.

I hope some of the above information is helpful.

 

The Chicago area has lots of very active bike clubs with a variety of riding styles from racing,
training, fast recreational or touring pace. The Arlington Flyers are a fast riding club as well as
VCR (Velo Club Roubaix). I think there's another group of racers associated with Village Cycle Sport
bike shop. Lots of folks ride with several clubs for their training rides or touring rides and
support each other's invitationals. There are some groups of riders training for triathelons, iron
man races, etc. I ride mostly with the Wheeling Wheelmen (http://www.wheelmen.com) because our rides
are done in a 'ride at your own pace' kind of format. This allows people with different riding
styles and pace to ride together if they want. Or you can start out with an express group and drop
back and ride with other folks if you want to.

I don't know what to tell you about the age of the riders you're seeing on club websites. It does
seem that cycling attracts riders your age then many stop riding to raise kids then come back to
cycling when their kids are older. There are a lot of great folks in all these clubs and I know you
will find one you like. Use their websites to send email to have a human call you if you want more
info or want to start making contacts. None of the clubs pressure you to join until you've ridden
several rides with them, they mostly want people to participate in the sport.

Welcome!

Jim

"Keith C." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All,
>
> Does anyone know of a good road biking club near Lincolnshire, IL? I'm just using that as starting
> point. Anything within a reasonable driving distance would be considered. I'm interested in
> meeting some fellow bikers since I'm relatively new to the area. I've looked on the web and found
> groups with older members. I just want to meet some people around my age (23).
>
> Thanks in advance, Keith

 

Reminds me of my first bike club meeting I turned out for. I arrive on site and in the process of
walking around the building in search of a decent lock-up for my bike I only see 3 other bikes.
Hmmm, must be a small meeting. I walk into the room and there are 40 people in attendance. LOL.

I agree with the others: Mike Bentley's website is the best place to start looking. Lots of club
links. My personal favorite is his Illinois and Midwest Invitational Ride calendars.

crispy

[email protected] (Hunrobe) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
> Curmudgeonly fanatic or no, I agree that too many bikes spend too much "road time" on bike
> carriers instead of being ridden *but*.... I blame that more on modern life than on the idea that
> one must drive to where the start of the ride. An example: A club ride I try to make as often as
> possible starts at 5:30 pm on Wednesday nights. I'm lucky in that the meeting spot is only four
> miles from my house so if I'm home by 5:00 pm I can change into shorts, hop on my bike, and make
> it easily. Others that live farther away and get off work later are not so lucky. So what should
> they do? Quit their job? Relocate? Or just do what they do now- throw the bike on the rack the
> night before, change at work, and drive directly to the meeting place?