Ride to Milwaukee

So, with the weather (hopefully) turning nice pretty soon I wanted to feel out if there would be anyone wanting to join up with a ride into Milwaukee.

Last time I did this it was in a freaking blizzard, but the route is pretty straightforward, and there's lots of really cool stuff to do in our neighbor to the north: palominos, art museums, cafes...

when: TBD but leave Chicago together early on a saturday, and take the amtrak back from milwaukee with our bikes in the PM (they charge you for a bike box to do this but it's not too bad)

ride will end at palominos but we can figure out some cool stuff to do after a deep fried meal before we bike to the amtrak station!



I say date TBD because it would have to be a relatively mild day (60s?) with hopefully not too bad of a headwind.

If you would be interested in joining up let me know. I treat these sorts of rides like roadtrips by bike so we would stop for food along the way and probably shoot for a somewhat decent speed (14-16 mph), but would take rest stops as needed. this would not be a "prove how fast you can finish a century" ride

I'm gonna ride it fixed gear this time and any other intrepid souls are encouraged to do the same!

Me in the middle of my last cold ride up there:

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris on March 27, 2009 at 7:19am
awesome. check out the planning meeting on the calendar page!

Joe said:
I would love to do this. I am training for the Aids/Lifecycle so this would be perfect.
Permalink Reply by payton on March 28, 2009 at 11:07am
Instead of paying Amtrak $25 and disassembling (which is pretty quick, but still annoying), why not ride back to Kenosha and bring a whole bike back on Metra? It takes longer, but it also runs later and probably stops closer to home.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on March 28, 2009 at 11:52am
Oh, geez, I hope you've got the legs and the bike to do it.... Last summer I did 130 miles just hitting the south side and wound up parking at Great Lakes on the way back due to "Lollapalooza" - - - I was also burned to a crisp. I was losing it, dude. You DO NOT want to park your bike at Kenosha (misc junk & stripped bikes attch'd to the rack) so make sure there are no "special" events happening which prevent you from getting on the train. Check with Coach USA bus on the whole bike thing - They only charge $10 extra out of Madison to get back to Chicago and NO disassembly is required. Let me know if the same thing happens out of Milwaukee.

payton said:
Instead of paying Amtrak $25 and disassembling (which is pretty quick, but still annoying), why not ride back to Kenosha and bring a whole bike back on Metra? It takes longer, but it also runs later and probably stops closer to home.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on March 28, 2009 at 3:25pm
To clarify what I said, here are Metra's biker regs - -- -

"Bicycles are permitted on all weekday trains arriving in Chicago after 9:30 AM and leaving Chicago before 3:00 PM and after 7:00 PM, and on all weekend trains, with the following exceptions:
Blues Fest June 12 - 14 (weekend only: June 13 & 14)
All days during Taste of Chicago June 26 - July 5
Lollapalooza August 7 - 9
Air and Water Show August 15 - 16
Jazz Fest September 4 - 6 (weekend only: September 5 & 6)"

So you guys are pretty much home free as far as the Metra goes. Have fun!
Permalink Reply by Brett Ratner on March 31, 2009 at 2:13pm
Hey all:

Just got back into town...are we still on for the meet and greet tomorrow night (April 1) at 7 at the Handlebar?

Thanks!!!
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on March 31, 2009 at 3:42pm
Yes, Brett, we're still on for tomorrow.

Seez you there!

Brett Ratner said:
Hey all:

Just got back into town...are we still on for the meet and greet tomorrow night (April 1) at 7 at the Handlebar?

Thanks!!!
Permalink Reply by joe on March 31, 2009 at 5:20pm
so..ive been tryin to get ppl to ride there..i have a place to stay...and i wont be takin the train back...cause i to broke to afford stuff other then beer......i also dont have time to hang out during the day cause i work 2ed shift...but im most likely down for when ever as long as i have a week in advance to fix my work sched. ...but if thats the case im 100% in for this ride. so when u guys and gals figure it out id like to know whats up.
Permalink Reply by Kelly on April 1, 2009 at 3:14am
I am tenatively planning on booking a cheap hotel for Saturday night. I am not certain about my return trip plans yet, but I should be there tonight.
Permalink Reply by Chris on April 3, 2009 at 6:21am
IMPORTANT PLANNING INFO:

Thanks to everyone who came out to the planning meeting! below are soem of the details we hammered out for the chainlink ride to milwaukee PLEASEREAD THE ENTIRE POST AS WE NEED SOME THINGS FROM YOU:

1. the event will be postponed if there is a headwind greater than 11 MPH/ it is raining (70% or more chance). In the event of postponment I will send out an e-mail the night before.

2. We are planning a brief "get acquainted ride" Wed April 18th for all who plan on joining us. This ride will start at 6 corners (MKE/North/Damen) at 7 PM. This ride will serve as final confirmation you plan on riding up to MKE, and will also allow us to finalize details.

3. RIDE DETAILS:

all of us will meet at the starbucks at Foster and Clark at 6 AM on sat April 18th. Departure at 630 AM. The ride will finish at palominos Pub in Milwaukee. That's right folks, we start together, we finish together with celebratory beers and fried foods (vegan/veggie friendly)! HOWEVER,

There will be two route options (I will post google maps later) 1) "rural" and 1 "sheridan road", the rural route follows country highway H, while the sheridan road route follows sheridan all the way into MKE.

There will also be at least two groups one group for those of us that may have lost a little bit of winter fitness (14-16 mph target speed) and one for those who will want to go a tad faster (16-18 mph speed) PLEASE NOTE this is not a race. all of us were in agreement that we will ride in a group, help each other out and no one gets dropped (unless they want to bail). This is a social, fun ride where we get to explore a new city by bike, and help each other do so! I just thought having a more "conversational" group might be a good idea. I will ensure that each group has an experienced rider who can serve as a guide, so you won't need to worry about the littloe things Basically if you have completed a ride anywhere around 20-30 miles you can do this ride, no problem.

So what do i need from you? Please email me your cell #and email address if you plan on joining the ride. In your email indicate which group (14-16 or 16-18), you would want to be a part of, and your route preference if you have one. Also, indicate whether a) you have or know of a place to crash b) would want to split a hotel room c)you plan to stay overnight d) you plan to ride back the next day

Please note: for those that wish to take the amtrak back that night we will organize a ride to the station

Once I have final #s and group assignments I will reply with even more details. meantime, start researching some fun stuff to do in MKE and contact any friends you might have that would want to ride with us.

I will post more details (addresses of start/emd point/maps/train tables etc) early next week. Also, Ill share tips for the long ride, like my cheap homemade chamois cream.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on April 3, 2009 at 8:42am
Typo I guess.

The "get acquainted ride" is Wed, April 15th 7PM at MKE/North/Damen

Chris said:
IMPORTANT PLANNING INFO:

Thanks to everyone who came out to the planning meeting! below are soem of the details we hammered out for the chainlink ride to milwaukee PLEASEREAD THE ENTIRE POST AS WE NEED SOME THINGS FROM YOU:

1. the event will be postponed if there is a headwind greater than 11 MPH/ it is raining (70% or more chance). In the event of postponment I will send out an e-mail the night before.

2. We are planning a brief "get acquainted ride" Wed April 18th for all who plan on joining us. This ride will start at 6 corners (MKE/North/Damen) at 7 PM. This ride will serve as final confirmation you plan on riding up to MKE, and will also allow us to finalize details.

3. RIDE DETAILS:

all of us will meet at the starbucks at Foster and Clark at 6 AM on sat April 18th. Departure at 630 AM. The ride will finish at palominos Pub in Milwaukee. That's right folks, we start together, we finish together with celebratory beers and fried foods (vegan/veggie friendly)! HOWEVER,

There will be two route options (I will post google maps later) 1) "rural" and 1 "sheridan road", the rural route follows country highway H, while the sheridan road route follows sheridan all the way into MKE.

There will also be at least two groups one group for those of us that may have lost a little bit of winter fitness (14-16 mph target speed) and one for those who will want to go a tad faster (16-18 mph speed) PLEASE NOTE this is not a race. all of us were in agreement that we will ride in a group, help each other out and no one gets dropped (unless they want to bail). This is a social, fun ride where we get to explore a new city by bike, and help each other do so! I just thought having a more "conversational" group might be a good idea. I will ensure that each group has an experienced rider who can serve as a guide, so you won't need to worry about the littloe things Basically if you have completed a ride anywhere around 20-30 miles you can do this ride, no problem.

So what do i need from you? Please email me your cell #and email address if you plan on joining the ride. In your email indicate which group (14-16 or 16-18), you would want to be a part of, and your route preference if you have one. Also, indicate whether a) you have or know of a place to crash b) would want to split a hotel room c)you plan to stay overnight d) you plan to ride back the next day

Please note: for those that wish to take the amtrak back that night we will organize a ride to the station

Once I have final #s and group assignments I will reply with even more details. meantime, start researching some fun stuff to do in MKE and contact any friends you might have that would want to ride with us.

I will post more details (addresses of start/emd point/maps/train tables etc) early next week. Also, Ill share tips for the long ride, like my cheap homemade chamois cream.
Permalink Reply by DonRay A.K.A. Zesty on April 8, 2009 at 12:29pm
Bump

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:
Typo I guess. The "get acquainted ride" is Wed, April 15th 7PM at MKE/North/Damen

Chris said:
IMPORTANT PLANNING INFO:

Thanks to everyone who came out to the planning meeting! below are soem of the details we hammered out for the chainlink ride to milwaukee PLEASEREAD THE ENTIRE POST AS WE NEED SOME THINGS FROM YOU:

1. the event will be postponed if there is a headwind greater than 11 MPH/ it is raining (70% or more chance). In the event of postponment I will send out an e-mail the night before.

2. We are planning a brief "get acquainted ride" Wed April 18th for all who plan on joining us. This ride will start at 6 corners (MKE/North/Damen) at 7 PM. This ride will serve as final confirmation you plan on riding up to MKE, and will also allow us to finalize details.

3. RIDE DETAILS:

all of us will meet at the starbucks at Foster and Clark at 6 AM on sat April 18th. Departure at 630 AM. The ride will finish at palominos Pub in Milwaukee. That's right folks, we start together, we finish together with celebratory beers and fried foods (vegan/veggie friendly)! HOWEVER,

There will be two route options (I will post google maps later) 1) "rural" and 1 "sheridan road", the rural route follows country highway H, while the sheridan road route follows sheridan all the way into MKE.

There will also be at least two groups one group for those of us that may have lost a little bit of winter fitness (14-16 mph target speed) and one for those who will want to go a tad faster (16-18 mph speed) PLEASE NOTE this is not a race. all of us were in agreement that we will ride in a group, help each other out and no one gets dropped (unless they want to bail). This is a social, fun ride where we get to explore a new city by bike, and help each other do so! I just thought having a more "conversational" group might be a good idea. I will ensure that each group has an experienced rider who can serve as a guide, so you won't need to worry about the littloe things Basically if you have completed a ride anywhere around 20-30 miles you can do this ride, no problem.

So what do i need from you? Please email me your cell #and email address if you plan on joining the ride. In your email indicate which group (14-16 or 16-18), you would want to be a part of, and your route preference if you have one. Also, indicate whether a) you have or know of a place to crash b) would want to split a hotel room c)you plan to stay overnight d) you plan to ride back the next day

Please note: for those that wish to take the amtrak back that night we will organize a ride to the station

Once I have final #s and group assignments I will reply with even more details. meantime, start researching some fun stuff to do in MKE and contact any friends you might have that would want to ride with us.

I will post more details (addresses of start/emd point/maps/train tables etc) early next week. Also, Ill share tips for the long ride, like my cheap homemade chamois cream.
Permalink Reply by Chris on April 10, 2009 at 8:58am
So, I just got back from NYC (biking in manhattan=awesome!), which explains the lengthy delay in posting route maps. I will get on that saturday.

Meantime, IF YOU PLAN ON COMING SHOOT ME AN EMAIL OR POST HERE THAT YOU'RE DEFINITELY IN. We need a final head count very soon.

Get acquainted ride wed (if it's not rainy). More this weekend.

Peace.

Also, I might use the afternoon we're in milwaukee to hit up sprecher brewery for a tour.

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