Are you participating in the Bike Commuter Challenge? It’s a monthlong competition hosted by the Active Transportation Alliance encouraging Chicagoans to bike to work. City Cast Chicago podcast host Jacoby Cochran cycles a couple of days a week and shared his favorite routes.
Best elevated trail: The 606, aka Bloomingdale Trail
On an old train line, the trail runs from Wicker Park to Humboldt Park. Have a day off? Bike the popular path when others are at work.
Best waterfront path: Lakefront Trail
The 18-mile paved path from South Shore to Edgewater is easy to hop on if you’re on the east side of the city.
Best connecting trail: Burnham Greenway Trail
The tree-lined paths are cool, quiet, and link to longer trails near Wolf Lake and Eggers Grove in Hegewisch.
Best trail following the music: North Branch Trail
Also seeing Ms. Lauryn Hill at Ravinia? Bike 20 miles from North Park to Highland Park — and stop at the Chicago Botanic Garden along the way.
Best nearby nature trail: Salt Creek Trail
From Brookfield Zoo to Busse Woods, the 27-mile trail has a lot of natural beauty to take in, including the Des Plaines River.
Best trail name: Major Taylor Trail
Marshall “Major” Taylor was a Black cycling star in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His namesake trail from Gresham to Riverdale includes the Calumet River. (There’s a local cycling club named in his honor!)
As for your fav newsletter writer? Well, I’m living proof you can forget how to ride a bike. I'm checking out adult learn-to-ride classes now.
