Chicago at Last

Today we finally reached the Chicago waterfront -- and not a day too soon. I really need the planned four days off before riding out to New York. My quads have started to get that beat-with-a-baseball-bat feeling again at night. I've also developed some neuralopathy in my hands -- especially in the ring fingers and pinkies. Two nights ago, I could not apply enough force to the nail clippers to make them work. An interesting sensation. In addition to the days off this week, I'll be making some equipment changes to try to address that problem. Of course, I also stopped taking my Lipitor -- because I always look for excuses to do that.

The last time I blogged, I left you with a story of impending hypothermia. Luckily, the rain mostly stayed away so things were not too bad. I guess I'll never know if the emergency blanket under the tights would have warded off the freeze. I intend to get some proper rain pants and foot protection before continuing the trip.

Today's ride was pretty easy -- a 33 miles cruise up to the Chicago lake front, followed by a 20 mile residential ramble to the motel in Niles. Being that it was very early on a Sunday morning, the streets were almost completely empty. While waiting at a traffic light in downtown Chicago, a Chicago Police car rolled up with the window down. I said "hello", and the two cops said "hello" back. What I really wanted to do was to ask, "can you please direct me to the Cook County Assessor's Office"? But then I figured that they probably hear that sort of nonsense all of the time.

Riding old Route 66 was great fun. I will need some time to process the entirety of the experience before I draw any conclusions about it or can properly articulate how it may have affected my perspective on life. I'll have another couple of weeks to think about it while I continue the ride to New York. When I figure it out, I'll bore you with it.

For the next few days, I'll be focusing on some mechanical and personal maintenance -- including some short daily rides to keep my legs loose, overhauling my Rivendell, and tuning up my Opera which I had shipped out to Chicago. I plan to ride the Opera for as much of the route as I can -- there will be a lot of climbing, and the Opera weighs about 15 pounds less than the Rivendell. I do, however, have to be careful not to put too many miles on it too soon. The variations in fit, even if slight, will probably cause some biomechanical problems if I switch back over too fast. My knees are already pretty bitchy. I don't need to give them more reason to go off on a rant.

I also need to finalize some route options. I will start touring again on Friday morning. Until then, I will probably take a few days off from blogging. You all need a rest too...

Photos

Just a few of the Chicago Lake front. Riding around the lake front, I kept expecting to see Anthony Edwards moping around the lake in a grey sweatsuit...
Photo Journal

Ride Summary

Friday: 120 miles from Litchfield to Bloomington, IL
Saturday: 103 miles from Bloomington to Romeoville, IL
Sunday: 53 miles from Romeoville to Chicago to Niles, IL

Miles this year: 4399