No matter what the eagerly awaited, weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil says about the coming of spring, now is the time to get your bike ready for the good weather that is just around the corner.

Where to Bike Chicago, a new guidebook to bicycle trails and paths around Chicago and suburbs, will help cyclists welcome spring and plan the best bike rides and outings all through the summer and fall. The hardcover, spiral-bound, full-color book, lists, describes and maps 72 rides -- 45 suitable for adults and 27 traffic-free rides for kids.

“Where to Bike Chicago is a fantastic guide to exploring the many inviting bike trails and lanes, paths and forest preserves, neighborhoods and destinations that the Chicago region has to offer,” says Ron Burke, Executive Director of the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly Chicagoland Bicycle Federation), the region’s largest and most effective organization for cyclists, pedestrians and transit users. “Whether you’re a recreational rider, a commuter or a dedicated year-round cyclist, Where to Bike Chicago will give you the ideas, tools, maps and ride descriptions you’ll need to find new adventures in your community -- and beyond.”

Where to Bike Chicago is the first in a new series of guidebooks being launched in the United States by BA Press. Other books in the series are near completion in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and San Francisco. “The fact that BA Press chose Chicago to launch its new series of bicycle guidebooks is evidence that Chicago is the most bike friendly major city in the United States,” says author Greg Borzo. “And since spring has nearly sprung, now is the time to get ready to explore the city and suburbs by bike.”

The book will be launched at a media event at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb.1, at Rapid Transit Cycleshop, 1900 W. North Ave. in Chicago. By that time, the new book will be available for sale online and at most bookstores and bike shops throughout Chicagoland.

Geoffrey Baer, host of the new program “Biking the Boulevards” on WTTW Channel 11, will help kick off the book’s launch at the media event. Baer’s 24-mile ride through the city’s boulevards is featured as Ride 22 in Borzo’s book.

The attractive new book will help riders discover the natural wonders, historical treasures and vibrant communities of Chicago and the suburbs that are best appreciated by bike, according to J. Harry Wray, author of Pedal Power, The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life.

“Use this guide a little and it will increase your fun,” he says. “Use it a lot and you will develop a more nuanced and complex view of Chicagoland.”

The 280-page book retails for $24.95. BA Press publishes four cycling magazines, the growing series of Where to Ride guides in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and now the Where to Bike series in the United States.

A portion of every sale of Where to Bike Chicago will be donated to World Bicycle Relief. Founded by SRAM Corporation in 2005 and based in Chicago, World Bicycle Relief specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle programs supporting poverty relief and disaster recovery initiatives. To date, World Bicycle Relief has provided more than 70,000 bicycles to seven countries, including Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

About the Author: Writer Greg Borzo is the author of the popular book The Chicago “L” (Arcadia Publishing, 2007) and a co-author of The Windies’ City (Highlights of Chicago Press, 2006), a collection of stories about hidden historical treasurers around Chicago. He conducts public tours of the “L” for the Chicago History Museum, the Chicago Cycling Club and other organizations. He also conducts the Chicago History Museum’s “Ride Like the Devil” bicycle tour based on the Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.