One of The Chainlink's favorite cyclists (and lifetime ambassador), Jasmin Welter shares her recent experience with Zwift. This indoor training program is a great way to stay motivated training indoors, improving cycling fitness. With snow and Arctic temps, now is an excellent time to jump on indoor training in preparation for a cycling season of centuries, bike camping, and/or…

Most of us ride hundreds or thousands of miles each year.  Commuting, road riding, cycle-cross, crit-racing, BMX, off-road… you name it, we ride it. It’s easy to take cycling for granted, as well as the many transportation choices we all enjoy.  Imagine an environment with no options other…

By William Nedza

When we heard about this year's challenges, I asked if we could have a "rider report" to share their experience. The person I had in mind is Chainlink member, William Nedza. Every year Bill has so much enthusiasm,…

Recently, after moving to D.C., I decided to "go green" as much as possible. So I stopped taking Lyft rides, replacing them with an around-town Linus and I replaced my bus trips with a Brompton for my daily commute. I realized with the recent awareness of straw usage and one-use plastic containers, I still have a…

World Bicycle Day is "a global day officially recognized by the United Nations to celebrate the power of bicycles".

Rides and events are planned through out the United States and World Bicycle Relief (a Chicago-based organization) will be in New York to…

More unified and inclusive than ever before, with route options for the whole family!

The Chicagoland Tour de Cure is the American Diabetes Association’s signature…

It never hurts to start putting a few movies on the ‘must watch’ list for cozy winter nights – or long indoor trainer rides! Has anyone seen the new HBO mockumentary Tour de Pharmacy? I’ve just added that to my own list. What are some of your favorite cycling movies? Weigh in below! My top 5:

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By Yasmeen Schuller

I used to ride on farm roads when I lived in Wisconsin for a year. When I read the article (see below) from Bicycling Magazine, I thought I'd add a few tips of my own:

Expect Hills, Sometimes Gravel

Once you get outside of…

While winter doesn't necessarily prevent cyclists from staying outdoors, Chicagoans have to be realistic about the dropping temperatures. At a certain point, training outdoors just isn’t very agreeable or efficient due to temperatures and road conditions.

Enter indoor…

Spidermonkey Cycling Girls’ Ride

How do you measure a year?

One of the things I love about our sport is the measurability. In a subjective world, it’s nice to have an outlet for determining success by numbers and efforts, in some…

A few months ago, familiar with and in full support of the ladies #ssgravelcrew who had kicked tail at gravel races across the greater plains, my friend Lauren and I looked at each other and thought, We should do this. Also, full disclosure, I admired their grit and have bought a few bandannas because they are freakin’ GREAT bandannas, and I say this as a #bandannaenthusiast and flagging scholar.

She’s the co-captain our…

Rachel Wills of Velosmith

By Jasmin Welter

Anne Barnes (of Live Grit) and Rachel Wills (of Velosmith) are two Chicagoland ladies that can make your bike rides better - and faster. As professional bike fitters,…

Having recently moved to Washington, D.C., I am quickly discovering not all bike cities are created equal. The flats of Chicago and the lakefront have been replaced with the hills of D.C. My flatlander legs are stubborn and I’ve begun looking closely at the feet of elevation on my Google maps when scoping a route. I…

By Lisa Luttenegger 

Remember that friend, cousin, teammate, wife, or boyfriend you had a few months ago? Chances are you haven’t seen much of them, or if you have, you are likely well-aware of the Ironman race they’ve signed up and are training for. And if you’ve seen them in the 10 days leading up…

Most of us ride hundreds or thousands of miles each year.  Commuting, road riding, cyclocross, crit-racing, off-road… You name it, we ride it. It’s easy take cycling for granite, as well as, the many transportation options we all enjoy.  Imagine an environment with no options other than to walk.

We’re designating One Day to join the Chicago cycling community together, along with family and friends, to help provide…

By Mark Wilson

The Scenic Shore 150 is a 2 day, 75 miles each day bike ride from Mequon Wisconsin (just north of Milwaukee) up to Sturgeon Bay in Door County. A good friend of mine decided to ride this year with his sister’s team, another friend and I decided to take him up on his offer to join in.…

By Geoffrey Harding

The purpose of this article is to shine a light on three quick and easy things that you should get in the habit of doing that will help keep your bike on the road and save you some money during your next bike tune-up.

Wipe Down Your Chain

Try to keep an old…

By Carmen A. Aiken

Earlier this summer, I visited my friends’ farm off the Mississippi, where I toured last year. As we weeded the leeks, I mentioned an upcoming bike festival in Duluth, MN, a couple hours North. We’d been talking biking and my friends encouraged me to check it…

200km | 11.000ft of elevation | 8:20hrs

I started cycling in 2014 and have grown substantially as a cyclist since then. So when my friend Zach brought up the Horribly Hilly Hundreds (HHH) back in February, I was immediately intrigued. I like climbing and we don’t get nearly enough of it…

Over the past three years I have fallen madly and deeply in love with cycling. The challenge to push my physical limits, the adrenaline rush on a descent and the camaraderie of fellow cyclists make me feel more alive than any other sport.

At the same time I was exploring and expanding this wonderful…