200 Miles a Week
From 2014 to 2017, my commute was a 27-mile trip thru city, suburbs, and a two-lane highway. Starting in Chicago’s University Village, my journey began south on Halsted to 51st. From there, west to Damen, south to 71st, and west again to Western Avenue.
Halsted, Damen, and Western were resurfaced (new asphalt) during those years by Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT). When the city resurfaces, they do an incredible job, smooth roadways with solid bike lanes.
The ride continued south on Western a few blocks to Columbus Ave, better known as Southwest Highway. From here, the trip extended 14 miles cutting through the southwest side of Chicago, Hometown, Oak Lawn, Chicago Ridge, Worth, Palos Hills, Palos Heights, Palos Park, and finally Orland Park. To avoid LaGrange Road (heavy traffic), I pedaled south on Ravinia Ave, a beautiful roadway with government buildings and townhomes. Eventually, I arrived at my car which was parked overnight at the Lifetime Fitness of Orland Park.
Given these were pre-pandemic years, I worked in office 5 days a week. During spring, summer, and fall, I rode 3-5 days per week. During a 200-mile week, I drove in Monday morning with the bike in my car. When the day ended, I drove to Lifetime Fitness (16333 LaGrange Road), got the bike out, and cycled home. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were round trip cycling days. Friday was a morning ride in and a drive home which allowed car access for the weekend.
During frigid winter months, January and February, my bike trips did slow down. I was selective which days to ride and utilized Metra more often. All rides were tracked in a Commuting Trip Log (Excel spreadsheet). I highly recommend tracking bike commutes as it helps build consistency.
The company relocated our team from Orland to Tinley Park in early 2017 extending the commute a few miles. The Tinley Park office was a newly built facility with locker rooms and showers! This provided the option to keep commuting the same distance to Lifetime Fitness, or make a longer trek door-to-door to Tinley. I did a combination of both during these months depending on time available to ride.
I acclimated to waking up before 5am. The goal was to get on the bike by 5 or shortly after as the ride and cleanup exceeded 2 hours. My laptop stayed at the office, my backpack only included fresh clothes for the day to keep it light. Heavier items were kept in my car (dress shoes, toiletry bag). Leaving the car overnight in a safe parking lot was a game changer. The gym was open 24 hours so there were other cars nearby.
I passed 5 different Dunkin Donuts on the ride and got to know the owner/manager of one Dunkin fairly well. We chatted about the ride, weather, sports, and Chicago. Podcast rotation included Fresh Air, Outside the Loop Radio, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Planet Money, Joe Rogan, The Moth, Fascinating Nouns, Radiolab, and a handful of ESPN shows.
This ride may be a bit much for a new bike commuter. However, just about anyone can start a similar commute one day a week. With the right planning and support, you can trade in expressway traffic for fresh air, podcasts, and constant pedaling!
Darcy P.
