Four stars for Four-Star Bike Tour!

OK, I'm a bit biased, but the Four-Star Bike Tour on Aug. 28 was fantastic. Named for the four stars on the city of Chicago flag, nearly 3000 cyclists took to four routes (of course) of 12, 21, 35 and 66 miles that wound through beautiful Chicago neighborhoods.

People generally rode at a comfortable pace while taking in the sights and sounds on a peaceful Sunday morning under blue skies.

I rode the 12-mile route through UIC, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Chinatown and the South loop. We rode on quiet side streets that many of us had never been down—past gorgeous churches, hidden parks and informal street corner markets.

The Four-Star Tour succeeds the Boulevard Lake Front Tour (BLT), which Active Trans held from 1989 to last year. Four Star is more neighborhood-focused than BLT and is less constrained to the boulevard system and the lake front. Otherwise, the rides are very similar.

Some of the comments I heard included Best BLT (4 Star) ever and This gives me confidence to bike more on city streets. That is just what we want to hear!

With four on-street routes, Four Star is a very challenging ride to pull-off! I can't thank enough the more than 200 volunteers who, the awesome Active Trans events team and the Active Trans route committee members.

Check-in lines were short, the routes were fantastic and well marked and staffed, and the festival offered a great time with food, drink and music.

Have a look at a few photos below featuring riders, the post-ride festival and a handful of our many dedicated vol unteers.