August 20, 2026 Big improvements to Cook County’s Des Plaines River Trail; flooding persists on Lake County side Have a look at the remade Des Plaines River Trail between Lawrence Avenue and Irving Park Road in Cook County, with the new boardwalks. Plus, how to get hints about flooding in Lake County.
August 17, 2026 The legend (and rescue, and realities) of Sleepy Hollow Road in Dundee Township Sleepy Hollow, the suburb in Kane County, is no match for Sleepy Hollow, New York, when it comes to legends. But the Illinois town and Sleepy Hollow Road have their own history.
August 13, 2026 A cycling favorite with some history: Reservation Road in Kendall County Cyclists have told me what a nice ride Reservation Road is. It’s just a few miles long in the country south of Oswego and east of Yorkville. But those few miles offer a variety of landscapes — and history.
August 12, 2026 Summer’s here! Calendar of organized and charity rides, big events Suburban bike clubs and other organizations host invitational and charity rides all year. This is a list of the prominent organized rides plus big events in the suburbs.
August 11, 2026 Invitational review: The Naperville Rotary Ride on great Kendall County roads The Naperville Rotary Ride hasn’t been the biggest on the suburban calendar, but for nearly three decades it’s taken bicyclists on great exurban roads and helped charities.
August 7, 2026 Thrill and chill? What it’s like to ride in Sicily traffic (vs. Chicago, New York, Munich …) The reputation of Italian drivers precedes them: fast, wild, no rules. Could they also possibly be … relaxed? And could bicycling in Italian traffic really be … fun?
July 29, 2026 Destination roads: What’s worth the ride to find in the suburbs, and southern Illinois Some great roads are kind of a secret; they may take a while to find on a bike. But they’re so worth it. There’s a good one in southern Illinois, but there are plenty in our suburbs, too.
July 12, 2026 Top suburban Chicago bike trails: A beginning look The Chicago area is full of bike trails, including and especially out in the suburbs. They’re paved or gravel or rocky or dirt. Here’s a round-up of the top trails in the region.
June 22, 2026 Finish this ride in southern Wisconsin and get a pie If you want to draw bicyclists from suburban Chicago to Janesville, Wisconsin, serve ’em pie. That was the selling point of the Janesville Pie Ride besides the pretty bike trails and country roads north of Rockford.
June 18, 2026 Ela Road, Cook County’s gateway to Lake County — but how is the shoulder on new pavement? Cook County has finished repaving about 4 miles of Ela Road from Hoffman Estates to Inverness. It’s a key gateway into Lake County. But did the promised 3-foot shoulders happen?
May 25, 2026 Ride review: The McHenry County Century on pretty country roads to support people in parks A bike ride on the pretty open roads of McHenry County was an annual event put on by the McHenry County Bicycle Club. Now one woman’s company runs it professionally and charitably.
April 15, 2026 Poplar Creek Trail: Would they repave only half of it? Lest you think trails in rough condition should be entirely repaved at once, the Cook County forest district is identifying only the worst trail segments to target first. The northern half of the Poplar Creek Trail could be an example.
April 7, 2026 Post No. 100: How to ride a century, 100 miles in a day, in the suburbs We’ve reached 100 posts on this website! What better topic for the 100th post than riding 100 miles in one day? Here’s where and how you can do it in the suburbs.
April 2, 2026 The Cal-Sag Trail: How sweet it is, how much sweeter it could become On the long list of bike trails in Cook County’s forest preserves, the Cal-Sag Trail in southern suburbs is a relative baby. But it’s been created with love and care so far.
March 25, 2026 Latest Cook County forest trail plans: DPRT, Midlothian, Palos, Major Taylor … and Busse? The Forest Preserves of Cook County released its updated 5-year Capital Improvement Plan, and a few sections involve trail improvements.
March 15, 2026 Cook County trail reconnaissance: Thorn Creek The Cook County forest preserve district was “focusing on an evaluation of the Thorn Creek Trail system” over the last couple of years. I decided to evaluate it myself.
March 5, 2026 The repaved Old Plank Road Trail: Oh yeah, it’s good Fans of the Old Plank Road Trail were rejoicing at even the prospect of repaving the bumpy west end in 2025. Now that it’s done, the trail sure is beautiful.
March 4, 2026 Grand tour of the northwest preserves: How to ride these four Cook County trails in one trip The northwest suburbs of Cook County have four great forest preserve trails not too far from each other. Imagine riding them all in one day.
March 2, 2026 A classic child of the ’70s: The North Branch Trail As the Cook County forest district celebrated its new Wellness Center at Caldwell Woods, it pointed out a big change to the classic adjacent bike trail — bringing back memories.
February 18, 2026 Lake Zurich and its new Main Street downtown: Bike-friendly … someday? The reconstruction of Main Street through central Lake Zurich is complete, and it’s spectacular, especially through the Promenade. But one thing it isn’t right now: bike-friendly.
