Tour of Austin Discussion and Open Invite Research Ride Schedule

As many of you know, I host a monthly bicycle tour of a different Chicago community area at the end of each month. These tours are architectural and historical narrative on bicycles. My goals for these tours is to help Chicagoans rediscover Chicago, find out about its history, and see for themselves the great beauty of our architectural heritage. In addition, I am trying to motivate people to get on their bikes, excercise, and stop missing the world around them with a car encasing them and limiting their view and viewpoint.

Last year was our first year, and this year we have partnered with bicycle organizations that do great things for Chicago cycling. So far, we have done a ride with the chainlink, and one with the Chicago Cycling Club. We have another ride with each of those organizations this year, but we also have one coming up with West Town Bikes, and two coming up with the Active Transportation Alliance, including this month's tour of Austin.

While we are pleased to partner with all of these groups, we are eager to help the Active Transportation Alliance with their goals for our rides with them this year in Austin and Hyde Park. I was contacted by Cynthia Bell at the Active Transportation Alliance to try to organize more tours on the west and south side, and in particular, to focus efforts on reaching out to the communities that have fewer opportunities overall, and very few opportunities for cycling in particular. These are areas of our city that containe some of the richest history, the most impressive architectural wonders and an unfortunate legacy of neglect.

Here is the event link:

http://www.thechainlink.org/events/tour-of-austin

Here is the event poster:



It is our goal to have a wonderful turnout from each of the neighborhoods that Big Shoulders Realty and the Active Transportation Alliance conduct these west and south side tours in, but also from cyclists from all over the city. If you have never attended one of our tours, perhaps this month represents an ideal time to try one out.

I am also doing something that I have never done before, and opening four seperate research rides to anyone that cares to attend. It is important to note that while these are each seperate events that I will list in the calendar, they are all in service of the actual Tour of Austin that takes place on meeting at the Columbus Park entrance at 500 S Central Avenue, and they will ALL leave ON TIME.

Here is the schedule:

Wednesday May 13 - 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Sunday May 17 - 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Tuesday 5/26-2009 – 4:30 to 7:00 PM
Friday May 29 - 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (pre-ride....

Yes I know it overlaps CCM, but our schedule was needed for scheduling around school hours - but also an idea is to meet up with the mass after the ride, depending on their route this month.

My cell is below for those that might want to get more information, or if you are on your way to one of the planning/research rides and running a touch late.

Thanks all - Lee Diamond - 773-255-6347

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on May 11, 2009 at 7:07am
Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on May 21, 2009 at 6:43am
Here are a few pictures from Austin....what a great area....more will be posted on the Tour of Austin Chainlink event page, and also on the Classic Chicago Architecture Cycling Fan Club page.

Here are a few to get you started:






Hope to see some of you out there for the two remaining planning rides and/or the event itself!

Cheers - Lee
Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on May 26, 2009 at 9:47am
Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on May 27, 2009 at 6:48am
Hi all,

just a few days left. Here are some additional pics from the second planning route. Likely to be the last of the uploaded photos before the tour as the third planning route was too wet to keep the camera out.

As before, there are more at the event website here:

http://www.thechainlink.org/events/tour-of-austin

As well as more at the CCACFC website here:

http://www.thechainlink.org/group/ccacfc



Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on May 29, 2009 at 5:35am
Here is the latest route....too long...will be trimming today...
Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on May 30, 2009 at 3:45pm
Willow was just asking about convenient train stops near the ride, so I though I would post my answers. Obviously, you will know which situation applies to the most convenient line to you, and if you don't see a convenient line, I would check the CTA trip planner, which is probably a good plan anyway, since all of these things are happening on Sunday. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early just in case.

Anyway, here is part of the reply to Willow, which i will also post on the ride board....


Cheers! - lee

The Green line is just north of the park and stops right on Central at Lake. You would have about 1/4 mile to bike south on Central. The park is on your right before the expressway.

The Pink line has a stop at Cicero and there are a variety of busses you could take from there, the Cermak bus to get west or the cicero bus to get north, stopping anywhere above roosevelt, then heading west to the park.

The Blue line has a stop at Austin that is close to the southwest part of the park. You could get on the park trail and head around the park to the front of the fieldhouse (500 S Central). They also have a stop at Cicero, but methinks the Austin is better if you are doing the Blue.

On Metra, the BSNF has a stop at Cicero that gives you similar options to the Pink line from there.
Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on June 1, 2009 at 3:57pm
Thank you so much for all who came out to the Tour of Austin. It was an amazing ride. I had 110 registrations, and several people come up to me for more when I ran out so there were at least 120 or so in total at the height of it all. It was incredible. It was the first ride of the neighborhood tours that had enough people that it made sense to cork at intersections and the corkers did a great job. Thank you all very much! A very neat and orderly ride for that size all in all and much appreciated by Cynthia and I for sure. Thank you!

The very best part for me was when at several points along our route, the neighborhood kids joined in on the ride. Awesome.

My very sincere thanks to Cynthia Bell at the Active Transportation Alliance for working with me on this, Mike, Jason, Garth and Eliezer for the research ride help, Bryan for tirelessly sweeping these rides for us, and everyone who came along, brought others, took pictures, rang their bells, wore their helmets, waved at everyone, calmed motorists, and got on their bike and rode through Austin, Chicago.

Thank you very much. Pictures to follow soon - Feel free to post pictures or links you took as well.

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