General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride Rss Feed  
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2014-08-04 9:26 AM

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Subject: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
After spending many years riding around the cornfields of Illinois I took a trip out east and had a chance to ride in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Oh my god was it fun never flat and always turning it was a blast. I think I need to move to where biking is not a straight line. not sure whats like to race in the hills I can only imagine whats goes on in sprints.


2014-08-04 9:40 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

Agree. This time of year everything around me is corn fields (central IL). I feel like I'm riding through miles of corn tunnels. We used to live in Southern IL and ride the rails to trails system at Tunnel Hill. It was not for road bikes but very pretty scenery with bridges to cross, forest, and of course riding through the tunnel .

I went on vacation to Hilton Head this summer and I was able to ride right on the beach. I was really excited thinking this would be a great change of scenery but you know what - it was boring too. Sand, water, dead jelly fish, dead jelly fish, dead jelly fish......

 

2014-08-04 9:40 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
Only boring people get bored!

Seriously, though. If I head east I get some straight roads like you are talking about, BUT I live right on the mississippi river, so I can also travel on winding and hilly (or rolling) roads that have beautiful folliage and sometimes those super cool "tunnel of trees" type roads.

So, I guess my point is that it's kinda lame to call all of Illinois boring. Kinda like assuming that Chicago's interests reflect those of the rest of the state. You aren't from Chicago, are you?
2014-08-04 9:45 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

I ride into Wisconsin.

2014-08-04 9:47 AM
in reply to: brigby1

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
Originally posted by brigby1

I ride into Wisconsin.



I used to do some pretty nice beginner to intermediate single track up in your neck of the woods. I kinda miss that.
2014-08-04 9:53 AM
in reply to: Danno77

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

Originally posted by Danno77
Originally posted by brigby1

I ride into Wisconsin.

I used to do some pretty nice beginner to intermediate single track up in your neck of the woods. I kinda miss that.

Yeah, a lot of the rail to trail is coming along well. I can get some really big rides on it now. The best single track still tends to be just up in ... Wisconsin.



2014-08-04 9:58 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

Have you been to Kansas?! 

But to someone else's point, boring is in the eye of the beholder. While my routes are always in a straight line and always flat, I enjoy the beauty around me in the crops, the livestock, the sky and the quiet. 

2014-08-04 9:59 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

That's funny, because I rode in central Illinois for 6 years and rarely got bored.  

I rode past windmills.
I rode past farmhouses with dogs.
I rode past pig farms.
I rode past corn fields.
I rode past soybean fields.
I rode past creeks and rivers and small lakes.  

If you look at my routes, they were rarely "flat."  

Riding in Illinois, I had choices to ride a lot of different roads.  (Really, there was usually a cross road every mile or two.)  Yes, there were miles and miles of corn fields and by now the corn is high enough to not see cross traffic.  I rode 90 miles from Peoria to Galesburg and probably spent less than 15 of that on State Routes.  I've been other places where the choices are a lot more limited.  Where I was in Utah didn't have nearly as many cross roads (and some of them were gravel).  Where I am now has a lot of State Routes, but not as many back roads that go through (I'm still exploring though).  

 

2014-08-04 10:13 AM
in reply to: McFuzz

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
riding west of Chicago and there are some parts that are somewhat entertaining but when I did a 3 hour ride out east where I really had to pay attention to my line and gearing it just made it so much more fun. I did learn I am really bad at descending hills.
2014-08-04 10:36 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
I moved from Chicago to the DC area 5 years ago. As far as biking/running is concerned, best choice I ever made. In Chicago/Illinois, it seems like I rarely got to use my "granny gears" as everything was FLAT. Except of course for Palos Hills/S. Wisconsin. And Palos was best appreciated w/a mountain bike.

I hear your call!
2014-08-04 10:40 AM
in reply to: McFuzz

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
I agree with McFuzz re: cross roads/routes. I have a couple of regular loops that I do and I have several choices to shorten or lengthen each one. I also Ride in southern WI, which is more of the same as IL, with maybe a few more rollers. I enjoy riding in the country, watching the corn get progressively higher, seeing livestock and horses, stopping occasionally at a stream to talk to fishermen. I grew up down in Spring Valley.

I think it's the stark contrast to other parts of the country that makes IL look "boring".


2014-08-04 12:32 PM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
the other fun thing I got to do was do my swim workouts in the ocean in the waves (ok small waves) but I need some work on rough water swimming

Edited by BuckHamilton 2014-08-04 12:32 PM
2014-08-04 2:12 PM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

I did a few rides in Central Illinois (Minooka) this past June, and yes, the terrain is rather... mono-chromatic. But that doesn't mean it has to be boring. I did notice that the riders there must never wear out rims or brake pads, though. I guess that comes with being able to see for miles in every direction.

2014-08-04 4:24 PM
in reply to: briderdt

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

Yeah, it does work if you accept that there isn't necessarily a lot of excitement from terrain and more to just enjoying being out there.

2014-08-04 4:34 PM
in reply to: brigby1

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

Ha! Come ride in Dallas, TX. You won't get bored. Most of my riding is done in the suburbs on 3 lane roads. I get to see cars, more cars, businesses, etc. The fear certainly keeps me from being bored! 

2014-08-04 8:53 PM
in reply to: #5034663


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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
Haha, try northeast Indiana. I moo at the cows to make my rides more interesting


2014-08-05 7:22 AM
in reply to: MMW37

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
X2 on it's all what you are used to. Riding around Tremont, Il and Pekin was a very nice change from Arizona
2014-08-05 7:25 AM
in reply to: #5035148

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
I am in Iowa- what doesn't kill us makes us stronger!! Yesterday i rode 70 miles and did the same loop twice (ALONE). Terribly boring.,.
2014-08-05 7:36 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
Oh yeah. I live in WV and love the hills. Love 'em! They keep things interesting and make you strong. Triathletes around here who train for flat races complain that there is no where to train. We do get people who come in from out of state, do one group ride, and decide that they are done riding bikes, though.
2014-08-05 7:38 AM
in reply to: midwesttrimom

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
I worked Bike Virginia this year and talked to a rider from Kansas who had similar feeling. All the roads were flat and straight where he came from.

http://bikevirginia.org/

2014-08-05 12:32 PM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
In much of Florida, your best hope for a hill is a bridge. There are hills inland, but most of the population is near the coast, which is almost entirely flat. We can get some nice views along the water, but those usually come with crazy crosswinds. I call those my hills.


2014-08-10 9:47 AM
in reply to: bwalling

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
Originally posted by bwalling

In much of Florida, your best hope for a hill is a bridge. There are hills inland, but most of the population is near the coast, which is almost entirely flat. We can get some nice views along the water, but those usually come with crazy crosswinds. I call those my hills.


This makes me a bit nervous! I am doing IMFL in November and that is what worries me most. I ride a lot of hills, but for some reason I think that flat with wind is tougher! I always feel like I am going to get blown off the road. ) Here's to hoping it's a calm day on November 1!!
2014-08-10 9:30 PM
in reply to: midwesttrimom

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride

I grew up in east central Illinois, near Indiana border.  But I've lived in idaho for twenty years.  I enjoy going back and riding all the cornfields and country roads i grew up on. 

Scenery is a state of mind.  You're out riding your bike...how bad can it be?

2014-08-11 8:44 AM
in reply to: jeffnboise

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Subject: RE: Riding in Illinois has to be the one of the most boring place to ride
I think it may just be the change of pace for me. However the hills that gave me trouble before I spent some time in the hills seem very small now
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