With the awesome weather yesterday, I'm sure many of you were eager to get some longer time in the saddle. Though, for me, there was something different about the atmosphere. A one off or a sign of things to come? Here are my observations from riding around the Northside (4-7), share yours below.

The good:

- Everyone on a bike was having a blast.

- There were all types of cyclists out yesterday: people training, leisure riders on their own bikes, Divvy, etc. I don't think I've seen the LFT so crowded on a Tuesday.

- The stream heading north on the LFT was filled with bike commuters.

- Encouragingly, the share of women on bikes was incredibly high. I would say around 40%. I saw a ton of women on road bikes.

- I saw only one cyclist/ped conflict at the terribly designed Belmont Harbor stretch.

- The 606 was not that crowded.

The bad:

- The wind was brutal if you were heading South or West.

- Some of the passing left a lot to be desired. Way too much unsafe passing from all sorts of cyclists. 

- The lane positioning for many was terrible. Too many single cyclists hugging the center line or riding three abreast.

- That fucking puddle leading to the North Ave ped bridge by the fields. That thing has been there for how long now?

- The thought that those pedal-quads might soon be unleashed on the LFT. Ban them now.

The ugly:

- It's clear to me that the width of the LFT bike path is already obsolete in many places, especially from North Ave to Fullerton.

- The moron with the motorized stand up scooter that had three wheels and was as wide as the entire lane.

- What was in the air last night that made the motorists even crazier than normal? The traffic was atrocious and the law breaking was hitting peak levels. No, the Chicago/Dearborn intersection does not have a double left-turn lane.

- WB Cortland, after the river was a parking lot. There were so many motorists turning right and blocking the bike lane that it was hard to get through without going across the center line. I can't think of a better location for the Dept of DIY.