Three recent biking books recounting multiweek journeys — both global and cross-country — inspire holiday gift ideas for cyclists. As inclement weather reduces saddle time, these adventures inspire long-distance challenges, pose goals for ambitious ...

Bike shops close early. Riding mileage tapers. Fall's colorful showcase drops its last leaf. Even the sun beds down by late afternoon. End of biking season? Not cyclocross. Wetter, colder and muddier just intensifies the racing challenge. Cyclocross...

"I can bike there!" echoed throughout my youth. A coaster-braked, balloon-tired, hand-me-down magically expanded my 10-year old universe beyond typical neighborhood explores. Fast forward to sleeker, faster, multi-geared bikes and that sense of free...

Inspired? Speak up! Thanks to naturalist May Theilgaard Watts's vision, bikers and trail users are now reaping the benefits in Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. Her September 1963 letter to the Chicago Tribune proposing a nature corridor to replace th...

"2023 is a turning point for bike plans," observes Ryan Peterson, senior planner at Epstein Global, a Chicago-based firm specializing in bicycle and pedestrian planning. Numbers tell the story: Four adopted plans (Batavia, Cook County, Kane County, ...

With a new feature, Active Transportation Alliance's major fundraiser, Fifth Third Bike the Drive, rolls for the 21st time from 6:30-10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3, with more than 16,000 cyclists dominating Chicago's vehicle-free DuSable Lake Shore D...

Downhill, tailwind-aided, I can top 35 mph on my road bike, albeit with greater trepidation as I age. Cycling that fast without brakes or coasting ability, alongside other brakeless bikers buzzing mere inches away, however, exceeds my tolerance. I c...

With riding season in full gear, cycling inspiration appears everywhere: Televised Tour de France stages, mountain biking races, Northbrook velodrome track events, bike club bakery rides. Inspiration even emerges in unexpected venues. Grayslake Heri...

A late May request from Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's (8th-IL) office may have distressed some nonprofits, but not Ride Illinois, which is cushioned by a volunteer program launched in 2020. Krishnamoorthi presented a $330,400 ceremonial check Ju...

Cook County spotlighted major biking issues in announcing its first bike plan May 25. Recognizing implementation is key, Cook County has already scheduled specific infrastructure projects. More are planned. Initiated in early 2021, this plan, spearh...