Sunday morning, I signed on to Bike the Drive, a cool Chicago event where they empty IL-49 - otherwise known as Lakeshore Drive - of cars and set up bicycling-friendly conditions for 15 miles. The route went from Hollywood in the north to the Museum of Science and Industry at 57th in the south, with special event booths dead center at Columbus and Balbo. Water breaks at three and four mile intervals as well as flag-waving volunteers kept even the not so fit - mentally and physically - hydrated and in line.
I biked with a smile on my face... but there was trouble in my heart. First, the humidity was cranked about as high as you can get before the air turns to Jell-o and, second, is 5:30 AM really the bes time to start this sucker? On a Sunday? Do I LOOK like an early riser? (I'd like to be. Tell me I am. Do these pants make me look like an early riser? Be honest. I won't be mad.) I had a 10:00 ComedySportz show the night before, so "early to bed" was not an option. I set the alarm for six. Unfortunately, I set the music station to NPR. Note: the easiest way to sleep through an hour and a half of alarm is to motivate yourself with light jazz and news commentary. So I got out late and did about half the course, but I did get a t-shirt, a number, two bananas, a bagel and a free PowerBar, so I consider that $40 well spent.
Hold on, let me turn off the sarcasmatron. Yeah, I kind of do. I wish it cost less, but all of the bicycling stuff around Chicago does make it seem much safer for bicyclists than most metropolises (metropoli?). And if you divide everything up, my bagel only cost about ten dollars, which is about right in 2014 dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
