LGRAB Summer Games Round III and Grand Prize Winners

The moment is here! Dottie and I wanted to find a way to draw for the prizes together, so we gave Wetoku a spin. The sound leaves something to be desired, but it was fun to be on screen together. Watch the video, or just click through the jump to see the list of winners if you can’t stand the suspense. :)

Take the Long Way Home

Am I the only one who hears the Supertramp song in my head based on the post title? I blame my dad.

Today I did indeed take the long way home. Normally my commute route is a major diagonal street (Lincoln Ave, for the locals). Diagonal streets are favored among both cyclists and motorists because they cut through Chicago’s usual grid – after all, the quickest way from point A to point B is a straight line. Due to the heavy bike traffic, this street is a designated bike route and there are either bike lanes or sharrows the entire way. However, due to the heavy car traffic (and bus traffic and truck traffic), it can be stressful.

There is an alternate street route, which I’d never taken as part of my commute before (Armitage and Racine).

The route is along two secondary streets at a right angle, instead of the one diagonal street, adding a little less than one mile to the ride. For someone outside of a big city like Chicago, these would probably be busy streets, but they’re calm compared to my normal route. One street has a bike lane and the other has wide lanes but no bike lane. With very few stop lights and many four-way stop sign intersections, they’re ideal for bikes.

My ride was much calmer than usual and, surprisingly, I got home in pretty much the same amount of time as usual. Maybe 3-4 minutes longer. I’ll have to take the “long” way more often! Conveniently, this way took me right by a quaint neighborhood wine shop. Sauvignon blanc is the perfect treat after a ride in 94 degrees.

This is going down as an event for the Summer Games, take the long way home.  I’m grateful that I took the opportunity to try something new, thanks to the Games.  I look forward to hearing about everyone else’s adventures. :)

Bicycle Picnic in the City

On Monday (hooray for holiday weekends) I rode a few miles, set up my blanket under a big tree by the lake, laid out my spread of fizzy drink and fresh berries, and read a novel for a couple of hours. Although the local news warned that because of the 90 degree temps everyone should stay in the air conditioning (sigh) the day was beautiful in the shade with the legendary Chicago wind keeping things cool.

The gorgeous location, so private and quiet, was amazing for a city as big as Chicago. The city has so many lovely spots for those who put forth the small effort to find them.

This is going down as an event for the Summer Games, go on a picnic by bicycle. Bicycle picnic was the first event I came up with when Trisha and I started planning the Games. I’m excited that it’s finally come around and I hope others take the opportunity to have a bicycle picnic of their own :)

LGRAB Summer Games, Part III: New Territory

We are now entering the final phase of the Summer Games. How time flies! Ladies and gentlemen, your challenge awaits.

June 28-July 18: New Territory

• Ride a greenway (“nature” bike trail)
• Have a bicycle picnic
• If you don’t normally ride to work, commute by bike, or by bike/train or bike/bus
• If you do commute, take the long way home: add distance to your usual ride
• Explore a new part of town by bike

Prizes for this round (to be awarded to anyone who plays in Part III) include:

• Queen Bee Pannier
• Soma Deco Rack
• Renaissance Bicycles Brooks B68S saddle (honey or brown)
• Banjo Brothers Waterproof Commuter Backpack
• Rivendell Crane Hammer Strike Bell (as seen on Betty Foy)

Winners will be determined by random drawing on July 19. As always, email us your blog links or your stories and photos using the subject line “Summer Games Part III Entry” (and check out our Flickr group). Don’t forget that you must complete two events in each round to be eligible for the grand prize of a Batavus BUB. See our original post for complete details.

Thanks to all the sponsors and players! You can drool over the complete prize list here.