LIB Newsletter, Winter 2015
By Al Sturges
The state of Illinois – and, the greater cycling community – lost a true advocate this fall with the death of Ted Sanders. The founder of the League of Illinois Bicyclists died on September 23 at the age of 92.
Ted, like many of us, enjoyed bicycle touring as well as local rides. In 1994, at age 71, Ted rode self-contained, with his son, from Maryland to a Shoreline Tour in Michigan with a return to his Highland Park home. In later years, Ted switched from an upright bike to a recumbent.
Thankfully, Ted did not just enjoy bicycling but was also a tremendous bike advocate.
Ted’s efforts to create a statewide bicycle organization in Illinois began in 1989. At that time, Ted was a board member of the League of American Wheelmen (now the League of American Bicyclists), and the board president of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (now the Active Transportation Alliance). He had also served his first of several terms as president of the Evanston Bicycle Club.
Ted saw the need for a statewide organization to represent bicyclists. Together with LAW officials and Randy Neufeld (then with CBF), Ted came up with the idea that all Illinois members of LAW and LAW-affiliated bike clubs would become members of the League of Illinois Bicyclists. Thus, LIB would have instant membership.
Meetings of the new Illinois organization were held in 1991 and LIB was incorporated in 1992. With Ted as president, the organization grew and it took two of us to replace him when he stepped down in 1995. Eric Hutchison, of Peoria, took over as president and I became executive director.
Ted’s vison was that the national League of American Wheelmen would have state chapters which would share LAW dues and work on state issues. While he convinced the LAW board on the idea, the idea did not gain national traction. Our statewide bicycling advocacy group spent eight years affiliated with LAW, giving us a solid start and, in 2000, the League of Illinois Bicyclists became a stand-alone organization.