It is Easter week, and we’ve had a string of sunny weather in the Upper Left Hand Corner of Illinois. That’s the good news.
We’ve also been hovering in the 30s, and the cold winds have been very strong and gusty out of the northwest. So, we riders have been seeking shelter.
There are many paved cycling roads in the Upper Left, and most are exposed to the wicked blows in early spring. Thankfully, we have plenty of good scenic gravel roads carved through the hills. These are shadowed by trees bordering creeks and brushy fence rows.
To escape the ugly winds, I spent three days in the dusty gravel on my Trek 2100. And I’m happy to report that my Bontrager Race Lite 700x25 tires have performed fantastically on the rocky surface.
Although rounded on the edges and flat in the center, they’re extremely tough and easy to control. A mountain bike with big knobbies is a boring blunderbuss by comparison. I took the leap of faith, stayed off the brakes, and let the Race Lites roll!
So here’s our dusty trail out of Highland Community College. Head west on Pearl City Road to Van Brocklin Road. For safety’s sake, always stay to the right of the fog line as you ride on Pearl City Road.
Turn left and head south on Van Brocklin. At the next corner, turn right and continue on Van Brocklin to Burr Oak Road. Turn right on Burr Oak and ride the gravel west across Bolton Road until Burr Oak tees up to Voss Road.
Turn left on Voss Road and ride south past Don and Janey’s Arabian horse farm. Around the corner, Voss Road becomes Kermit Road. Follow that back east to Bolton Road and good old blacktop.
Turn right on Bolton Road and ride across Yellow Creek. After the creek und the curve, turn right on Loran Road and follow that up the hill. At South Voss Road, you’ll be back on the gravel again. Try to stay off the brakes and pick a line where you can avoid large rocks and clusters of small ones.
Loran Road meanders along the south bank of Yellow Creek. The countryside is lovely along this stretch as you ride high above the creek over to Mill Grove Road. Turn right on Mill Grove, and now you’re on a chip sealed surface as you loop back across Yellow Creek up through the Owl’s Glen.
At the top of the hill, you’ll tee into Block Road. Turn right, and follow Block past the Emerald Acres Campground over two nice rollers up to Pearl City Road. Turn right on Pearl City Road, and remember to watch for heavy traffic. Just after the left-hand curve, turn right again on Voss Road and gravel.
Follow Voss Road back to Kermit Road and east to the Bolton blacktop. Turn right on Bolton Road and left on Van Brocklin Road before you cross Yellow Creek. Ride back up Van Brocklin to the stop sign. Turn left and follow Van Brocklin north to Pearl City Road. Turn right and ride east back to Highland College.
Our route has taken us nearly twenty miles. We’ve dusted our tires, honed our bike handling skills and are ready to head for Paris-Roubaix.
We’ve also been hovering in the 30s, and the cold winds have been very strong and gusty out of the northwest. So, we riders have been seeking shelter.
There are many paved cycling roads in the Upper Left, and most are exposed to the wicked blows in early spring. Thankfully, we have plenty of good scenic gravel roads carved through the hills. These are shadowed by trees bordering creeks and brushy fence rows.
To escape the ugly winds, I spent three days in the dusty gravel on my Trek 2100. And I’m happy to report that my Bontrager Race Lite 700x25 tires have performed fantastically on the rocky surface.
Although rounded on the edges and flat in the center, they’re extremely tough and easy to control. A mountain bike with big knobbies is a boring blunderbuss by comparison. I took the leap of faith, stayed off the brakes, and let the Race Lites roll!
So here’s our dusty trail out of Highland Community College. Head west on Pearl City Road to Van Brocklin Road. For safety’s sake, always stay to the right of the fog line as you ride on Pearl City Road.
Turn left and head south on Van Brocklin. At the next corner, turn right and continue on Van Brocklin to Burr Oak Road. Turn right on Burr Oak and ride the gravel west across Bolton Road until Burr Oak tees up to Voss Road.
Turn left on Voss Road and ride south past Don and Janey’s Arabian horse farm. Around the corner, Voss Road becomes Kermit Road. Follow that back east to Bolton Road and good old blacktop.
Turn right on Bolton Road and ride across Yellow Creek. After the creek und the curve, turn right on Loran Road and follow that up the hill. At South Voss Road, you’ll be back on the gravel again. Try to stay off the brakes and pick a line where you can avoid large rocks and clusters of small ones.
Loran Road meanders along the south bank of Yellow Creek. The countryside is lovely along this stretch as you ride high above the creek over to Mill Grove Road. Turn right on Mill Grove, and now you’re on a chip sealed surface as you loop back across Yellow Creek up through the Owl’s Glen.
At the top of the hill, you’ll tee into Block Road. Turn right, and follow Block past the Emerald Acres Campground over two nice rollers up to Pearl City Road. Turn right on Pearl City Road, and remember to watch for heavy traffic. Just after the left-hand curve, turn right again on Voss Road and gravel.
Follow Voss Road back to Kermit Road and east to the Bolton blacktop. Turn right on Bolton Road and left on Van Brocklin Road before you cross Yellow Creek. Ride back up Van Brocklin to the stop sign. Turn left and follow Van Brocklin north to Pearl City Road. Turn right and ride east back to Highland College.
Our route has taken us nearly twenty miles. We’ve dusted our tires, honed our bike handling skills and are ready to head for Paris-Roubaix.
P.S. Ron Mattson from the Freeport Bicycle Company reports that his Bontrager Race Lites held up beautifully over the paves (cobblestones) on the Paris-Roubaix circuit.
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