Riding a bike in Chicago is either a life risking endeavor or your riding the trail on the lakefront. The lakefront trail isn't bad but its crowded and you still have to get to it which involves riding on regular traffic roads. Riding a bike on the streets of Chicago is kinda like playing Frogger on acid. The odds of getting hit by a car door, bus, or someone pulling out of an alley are very high, and eventually your frog always gets run over.
Which makes my son laugh when the mayor of Aspen drones on in all seriousness about how to make the town of Aspen more bike friendly. Yea you could do it, but as he said ' I could do 360s down Main street and not get hit'. He is right. Aspen is very bike friendly. I would say Aspen might be the Disney World of biking. There are bike trails and bike lanes everywhere. Riding up to the Maroon Bells, or Ashcroft or Independence pass are some of the best rides in the country. And they are just out my back door. There are also 1000s of miles of mountain bike trails as well.
Which brings up a slightly different biking challenge in Aspen. Check your ego at the door. There are a number of ex professional bikers who live here full or part time. There are a number of world class athletes who live here full time and ride bikes. There are a number of really rich folks who spend A LOT of money on their bikes. And there are e-bikes (electronic aid). Which means you will get passed a lot.
Examples:
1. Driving down Main st the other day going 25 mph I look in my rearview mirror to see Johnny Law on a bike keeping pace with me. He is barely pedaling a crappy looking bike with a flack jacket and a gun and he is doing 25 mph up a slight hill. WTF. Ah he is on an e-bike. I've been passed by e-bikes all over the place. Heading up independence pass (a solid climb) I was passed by a husband and wife who look like they just pulled a jail break from an assisted living home and they cruised right by me---and the e part of the bike was so small that I almost didn't realize they had a motor. Thank God cause otherwise my ego couldn't have handled it.
2. I was heading up to Ashcroft and was passed by a professional team out for a training ride. I'm kinda slow and old, and they were young and fast. Thank goodness they were all wearing their practice team jerseys so I knew exactly what that was that flew by me. Sometimes the pros (and ex pros) are not so kind as to let you know who they are and it can be a bit tuff on the ego. I was passed by a couple of older women who were probably going 12 mph up a 7 degree grade while chatting about what to bake for the school bake sale. That hurts. But that is Aspen.
3. Equipment. I'm kinda old school and cheap so I really don't want to spend $10k+ for a new ride. I ride an old Schwinn (ok its a Gunnar Tire-Biter from 1998) --which was an ok bike 20 years ago. I was riding downhill from Ashcroft with a friend of mine who has a nice but not great new bike. He was probably 15% faster than me downhill and I was in a much more aerodynamic position. Conclusion---new tires blow away old tires. And if you got cash to spend, you can work a lot less and go a lot faster---ergo that guy who passed me on a $20k bike might not have my heart or legs but he sure has my pocket book beat and that means he is going to crush me on the road.
And I am ok with that. I get to ride over the contintinal divide, next to high mountain streams and lakes surrounded by jaw dropping beauty with minimal car traffic. But I will get passed. A lot. And I am (mostly) ok with that. I just need to make sure I don't get pulled over by a police man on a bike for speeding in my car---I am not sure I am ready for that.
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