On Sunday, I biked downtown to see the Joffrey Ballet in a gorgeous performance of Swan Lake. Bicycling is certainly the most civilized way to travel, I decided, while listening to my Tchaikovsky ballet album on my iPod and sailing along the lakefront trail in the sunshine.
Of course, I am no stranger to bicycling to the ballet:
And one of my favorite non-bike related posts, Simplicity lessons from a 95-year-old ballet dancer.
Since I last posted two weeks ago, fall has really taken off.
I enjoyed the season to the fullest last weekend, when I went camping near the Wisconsin border with a group of friends. The autumn colors against the clear blue sky were breathtaking.
No bikes were involved in this outing (unlike my 24-hour bike camping trip), but there was hiking, dog wrangling, and s’mores making.
The hiking culminated in this gorgeous view just before the sun began setting.
On the way back to the city, we stopped at an orchard for some good old-fashioned Wisconsin apple picking.
And some amazingly delicious apple cider donuts (yummy!).
Here’s to autumn! May it last at least a month longer!
p.s. This work week has been grey and rainy, but I’m grateful for the days when I can ride my bike comfortably.
The beautiful fall continues, making my daily bike commutes an absolute pleasure. I’m not a natural morning person, but once I eat my breakfast and drink my coffee, kiss Mr. Dottie goodbye, and head out on my bicycle, I’m in a wonderful mood. This lifted mood carries me through at least part of my work day.
How can one not feel happy when surrounded by such beauty?
The commute home this evening was not as beautiful. Instead, it was dark, chilly (temps dropped to 50 degrees) and WINDY. The headwind was wretched, slowing my commute and forcing me off the lakefront trail to take city streets the rest of the way home.
On the plus side, I got an intense workout while listening to a full This American Life podcast and saving money. Not a bad deal.
I’m already looking forward to tomorrow morning’s bike commute. :)
Hello! A beautiful autumn bike commute today inspired me to check in and share here. As I’m sure many would agree, autumn is the absolute best time for cycling. The temps are cool enough to avoid sweating, but not yet freezing. Despite the perfect conditions, the paths and bike lanes are relatively empty.
This morning, I set out with a cardigan and light gloves, but shed those as I heated up during my 9 mile ride.
My commute includes the beautiful Buckingham Fountain every morning. Lucky me!
Chicago still looks like summer, but there is a definite chill in the air, with morning temps hovering in the mid-high 50’s.
I suppose this friendly city guy is saving up nuts and cigarette butts for the winter.
I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather! I plan to be around here more often, so feel free to check in every now and then.
p.s. We are working on the technical issues (such as broken pic links) of our current web home; bear with us.
Perhaps a flowing white skirt was not the smartest outfit choice for a wet and windy day, but sometimes fashion trumps function, and this morning I wanted to wear a flowing white skirt, dammit.
I began second-guessing my choice as the lake winds whipped the skirt against Betty’s grimy rack and fender, but by that time there was no turning back.
In a nod to function, here is my head and eye protective gear that rarely makes it into photos.
By the end of the day, the hem of my skirt was lightly soiled here and there, but nothing terribly noticeable from a distance. The real danger was the chocolate cake I enjoyed with lunch, crumbs of which inevitably got smushed on my lap.
Regardless, riding my bike, eating chocolate cake and wearing a flowing white skirt all made me happy, so I consider the dry cleaning bill worth it. :-)
Score one for fashion.
{I picked this skirt up from a Paris thrift store for 2 euros. See it styled for summer here.}
This evening I had a dark ride home in light rain. I was caught without my raincoat or any other special rain accessories, but my normal outfit worked well.
My wool trench coat kept me warm and dry.
My leather boots served the same purpose for my feet, plus sported a reflective strap for extra visibility.
My beloved bag was unfazed by the wet weather, thanks to dark leather and pre-treatment with Cadillac Shield Spray.
My Brooks saddle was protected by me for the ride, but got a bit wet while I took pictures. I know some people baby their leather saddles, but mine is holding up well, so I’m not too worried.
For the most part, light rain does not bother me much. And soon rain will be replaced by snow!
P.S. Really hard for me to avoid a November Rain reference in this post. :)
Hello there!
My focus lately has not been on blogging, but I have some renewed energy now. In three wteeks, I start a new job (an exciting step up in my career!) that will bring me a longer and more scenic bike commute. And to reward myself I bought a beautiful digital camera that has me eager to document my rides.
This morning I enjoyed my regular bike ride to work in the sunshine and crisp air.
Betty has been my constant companion for the last month, although I expect to swap her out for Oma as soon as the snow starts.
And here’s what I wore on my bike, although this was in the middle of the day and Betty, unfortunately, was not around to pose with me. A cashmere sweater and scarf with a leather jacket kept me plenty warm in the low-30 temps.
That’s about all I have to share for now. :-)
I hope everyone is doing well!
I have been cycling almost daily for so long – over five years now! – that I do not think much about the physical aspect. When I first started bike commuting, I could feel it in my legs for several months. By now the act is so routine, I sometimes forget that bicycling is exercise.
Oma and I setting off to work last week
I was reminded of this fact when I returned to bike commuting after almost a month’s break, due to my travels and other factors. After two days back in Chicago riding Oma in the wind, my legs muscles were sore. Really, riding a bike as heavy as Oma is more like weight training than cardio. :-)
Years ago, I read a Dutch woman comment that because she’s been cycling her whole life, her leg muscles are too used to the motions and she has to do separate exercises to keep her legs toned. I refuse to believe that – I hate squats!
I wonder how others experience the physical aspects of bicycling and how that has changed (or not) over time. Anyone care to share?
Time to break out the tweed and cashmere – fall is here!
I have a habit of writing every year about how much I love fall, and this year will be more of the same. It’s such a perfect time for bike riding, especially for riding in full work clothes without arriving sweaty.
I enthusiastically pulled out from under my bed the two containers of cold-weather clothes and suddenly I have a whole new wardrobe. This week I will replenish my supply of black and brown tights, then I’ll be good to go through early spring. :-)
The sun is setting earlier and earlier now – a clear sign of the shift in seasons. While I am not crazy about bicycling in the dark, I appreciate changes that mark the passing of time and keep life from feeling too routine. And I can now watch the transition from day to night during my evening commute.
I hope all of you are enjoying October so far. Just remember to carry your bike lights with you at all times! :-)
Good morning! To all Americans, I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving. :-) And now we have to go back to work. :-(
Traffic was light in the city during the holiday, making it the perfect time to ride a bike – as long as you manage to avoid the drunk drivers. But I have not been on my bike in 5 days because my mom was visiting from North Carolina. She enjoyed taking the L train.
The previous Sunday was my most recent joy ride. My friends Sara and Glenn and I biked down the Lakefront Trail to see a movie, then back up the Trail to meet Mr. Dottie at a cozy Scottish pub – a great way to warm up after a chilly ride.
Saw the first outdoor holiday lights.
Enjoyed warm coffee drinks.
Coco and Poppy spent some quality time together.
Did you enjoy a holiday joy ride?
Here’s an overview of my outfits last week, before setting off to bike to work in temps of 30-40 degrees. I expect to wear these same outfits over and over again during the upcoming months.
Tuesday: Chloe trench, cashmere sweater, Celine pants, boots.
Wednesday: trench, Chloe dress, tights, boots.
Thursday: trench, cashmere sweater, wool skirt, tights, boots.
Friday: red trench, cashmere sweater, Burberry skirt, tights, flats.
(Most everything I bought used, some on clearance.)
The photos reveal a consistency in my fall dressing: cashmere, wool, tights, and leather boots. I know I’ve said this many times before, but these materials are excellent for cold-weather cycling. There is no reason for me to wear technical clothing.
Do you have a cold weather cycling uniform?
I woke up this morning to a dusting of snow! Nothing serious, so I’ll bike to work as usual, but only last week I was enjoying the beautiful colors of a fall commute.
Always surprising how quickly fall fades into winter in Chicago.
A fun and friendly group gathered for Chicago’s Tweed Ride on Saturday. After an unexpected thunderstorm, the weather was sunny and exceptionally warm for November.
After the second pub stop, I broke off the ride with a group of girlfriends for dinner at Bangers and Lace. I love that going on a Tweed Ride naturally means hanging out with so many of my friends. Good times.
I know Des Moines had a Tweed Ride on Saturday (looking forward to the pictures!). Anyone else?
The outfit above is chic – there is no doubt about it in my mind. But at some point stuff gets ridiculously expensive. This week, I saw a gorgeous Chanel boucle suit at a consignment store…in my size…for almost $2,000. Holy mother of god. That is a lot of money for one second-hand outfit. The shop lady kindly informed me that they have layaway – ha! Luckily, the timeless Chanel designs have filtered down to the level where ordinary people like you and me can enjoy clothes that look kinda sorta the same.
The day after I left the consignment store, a friend at work randomly gave me a Chanel-esque wool boucle suit that no longer fits her. So I ended up with a similar outfit for free! Sure, it’s no Chanel, but it is a quality suit made in Canada.
Once I got to work, I traded my winter boots for heels, removed my gloves and scarf, and viola: ready for the office. Except I realize now that my bow was askew. :-)
A co-worker said to me, “You biked in that?!” Really, wool boucle and tweed are excellent for bicycling because the fabric has some give, never wrinkles, and is super cozy for fall and winter. I’m going on the record now to say that a wool boucle skirt suit – in addition to being timelessly chic – is the best outfit for cold-weather cycling. Who’s with me? :-)
On my ride home from work yesterday evening, I ran into my friends Janet and Dan on the Lakefront Trail. I love unexpectedly seeing friendly faces in Chicago; it always brightens my day and makes the city seem more and more like home.
As you can see, Dan and Janet have WorkCycle Omas, which they bought after visiting Amsterdam a few years ago.
Janet had on a new helmet by Yakkay, called the Luzern Faux, that she bought locally from Heritage Bikes. The Yakkay helmet can be mixed and matched with different style covers and this is one option (it also comes in white). So stylish!
At first I thought it was an actual shapka, not a helmet. These are very on trend right now (and I do love my Anna Karenina). :-)
Janet’s whole outfit was perfect for a chilly November night: fur hat, tweed coat, scarf, jeans, leather mittens, and high boots. Perfection.
I want one now, but alas I already own a black winter helmet.
You can see another Yakkay helmet cover modeled by Martha, one of the lovely women-who-brunch, in this post from last year. Has anyone else given this a try?
This Saturday is the 4th Annual Bonfire Tweed Ride in Chicago, starting at Four Moon Tavern at 1 p.m. I haven’t made it to a tweed ride in a couple of years, so I’m looking forward to this one.
{beautiful Scottish tweed from Brora: outfit 1 – outfit 2}
If you’re in Chicago, come on out! Not sure what a tweed ride outfit would be? Check out this Tweed Time fashion inspiration. Trisha’s last Fashion Friday outfit would work well, too!
More info on the ride here.
Anyone else tweed riding this fall?
BRRRRR! The October warm-up is over and real Chicago fall has arrived with morning and evening temps in the 30’s F, which is basically as cold as winter in my native North Carolina. This is my 6th fall in Chicago, but the reality of the first chill still surprises me.
Yesterday I wore a wool dress, tights, and my new Chloe trench from Paris (love!) for my entire bike commute. I thought I would get overheated, but nope.
The street lights were on by 5:30 p.m.
I felt kinda like a baby, complaining of my frozen fingers and toes when I arrived home, but even Ted the Cat, with his massive fur coat, has taken to snuggling under blankets.
So here’s to staying warm with the start of cold weather bicycling in Chicago!
I continue to enjoy fall the best way possible: by bicycle. These days, the lakefront trail is even more beautiful than usual.
To accompany the beauty of the season, I’ll share with you one of my favorite songs, Indian Summer, instead of a poem this time.
Today I feel like indulging in some flights of fancy. The result is my dream outfit. This is by no means a shopping guide, simply an expression of my aesthetic at the moment. This lushly beautiful Stella McCartney dress is waaaaaay too rich for my blood. But there are some attainable luxuries, such as striking nail polish and a romantic hair style. Also, I am in love with this Bloom Theory camera strap and will have to figure out how to make my own out of whatever scraps I can find at JoAnn’s. :-)
I could easily ride a bike in this outfit, especially a lovely upright Velorbis, while enjoying the final remaining days of tights-free weather.
Let's Go Ride a Bike 