Ride Illinois, your partner in bike advocacy, offered a new, community-focused event in September called Let’s Ride, Illinois! The event was a celebration of the freedom and benefits that riding a bike offers. The photo above was taken by Pat Yarbrough during Rockford’s Cycle on 2nd ride on September 12th.
The Rockford Icehogs mascot, Hammy, greeted cyclists along the way. Photo credit: Pat Yarbrough
For the first year of Let’s Ride, Illinois, we were thrilled that 22 community rides throughout the state took place! Bike clubs, bike shops, community groups and municipalities hosted casual, family-friendly rides in communities of all sizes.
Community rides were hosted in:
Berwyn
Brookfield
Chicago
Decatur
Downers Grove
Elk Grove Village
Grayslake
Harvey
Highland Park
Lake Bluff
Lebanon
Libertyville
Morrison
Normal
Palatine
Palos Heights
Rockford
Rushville
St. Charles
Urbana
All smiles at the community ride in Harvey. Photo credit: Nicholas Greifer
2021 Let’s Ride, Illinois events ran the gamut from rides on popular trails and through communities, rides with stops for tasty treats and beverages, and rides that included informative talks about raptors! Some rides incorporated bike rodeos and other activities for kids. Participants of all ages enjoyed the opportunity to experience their community by bike.
Thank you to everyone who attended one of the rides! We are incredibly grateful to those who organized the rides!
Let’s Ride, Illinois will return in 2022! We will incorporate what we learned this year to make 2022 Let’s Ride, Illinois better and encourage even more communities to participate! Until then, ride often for fun and transportation. Biking is beneficial for you and your community!
Downers Grove's ride included a stop for ice cream. Photo credit: Bill Chalberg