By Louis
J. Glunz '84
For my 20th reunion last June I decided to bike to Notre Dame
from Chicago. I have driven the sterile toll road route a hundred
times, often wondering what the bike route would be like. The
reunion gave me a purpose to be in South Bend, so I went for it.
My back-of-the-envelope navigation put the bike ride at 90 to
100 miles, with much of it on trails or back roads, so I knew
it was doable. My mother and my sister tried to talk me out of
it, but I was determined to ride.
A fellow reunion-goer, Colleen Thompson '89, also thought the
ride was crazy, but she agreed to take my gear down to Notre Dame.
On Thursday before the reunion, I met up with Colleen and friends
Karen Flaherty '89 and Tom Coonan '84 at a Wrigleyville Bar. Conversation
drifted from Notre Dame to what jobs we held since graduation.
After a burger and a couple beers with them, I departed to go
home for some rest.
The 4:30 a.m. alarm came all too soon. I felt a slight bit groggy
from the beers and had some doubts if I should do this alone.
Nonetheless, I dressed, filled my tires to 110 psi, and rechecked
my gear: Gatorade, power bars, helmet, gloves, inner tubes, maps
and, most important, my cell phone.
My Kestrel triathlon bike, which I bought on eBay, has little
in common with my childhood Schwinn. The lightweight carbon-fiber
frame absorbs shock for a comfortable ride. The aero bars let
me lean forward with little wind resistance. Similar to an executive
golf bag, there is no end to the titanium options/upgrades you
can purchase.
I departed my house and moved southeast on a deserted Lincoln
Avenue. The street lights and stop lights looked like Christmas
decorations as I sped toward the lake. The sun rose magnificently
over the water and peeked through the morning mist. Chicago's
Mayor Daley, a bike enthusiast, hopes to make a continuous trail
to Michigan City, Indiana. The present trail ended at South 71st
Street, and I continued on Route 41 through Chicago's Southeast
side. The South Shore Neighborhood, once very wealthy, has changed;
while still well kept up, some parts are rough. At 5:45 a.m. the
streets were empty, and I felt safe. On South Shore Drive I passed
Saint Michael's church, a giant, well-maintained structure in
a tired part of town.
I continued south on Indianapolis Boulevard and then Route 12
in Indiana. This road took me right through Gary's industrial
goliaths, which we see from the highway. The refineries and steel
mills had fences surrounding them, so I was not as close to them
as I would have thought. At 6:30 a.m. there was not much activity
on the street.
Next I traveled through the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Route 12 became a beautiful backwoods road that was framed by
a thick pine forest. The dunes were a half mile from the road,
but having no appetite to add any distance to my trip, I put off
that visit. The South Shore train stations in the park are built
as log cabins and look like something from Yellowstone Park. The
train was my safety valve, but I had no need to use it. I exited
the forest and continued along a secondary highway, which was
busy with Michigan City rush hour traffic.
I turned due east on Indiana 1000N road, a quiet country road
flanked by farm fields. I made good speed and could ride in the
middle of the deserted road. This road jogged around a few times,
and my high-level maps did not tell me where I was. In frustration
I rode six miles north to Route 12 in Michigan, which was a busy
highway, but it had a shoulder and good mileage marks for Niles,
Michigan.
As planned, I arrived on campus in time for the lunch included
in the reunion package. I ate with some of my Holy Cross dorm
mates, who thought the ride was pretty cool. I did see an alum
from my hometown, Dick Phelan '59. I described my path to him,
and he recalled that when he attended Notre Dame the highway did
not exist, so he would take Route 12 to Route 20 (Lincolnway West)
to campus.
Having completed the ride, I felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
Notre Dame seemed closer to my home, since I could ride my bike
there by lunch. The ride also let me connect with the various
terrains, which I had sped past on a toll road for the last 24
years. I plan to refine my path and bike to campus again this
year for a game.
(April 2005)
