Ride Illinois

Sadly, we learned of another bicyclist fatality in Village of Skokie on Tuesday. The victim is the 9th bicyclist killed on Illinois roads in 2024. Ride Illinois will work to learn more about this fatal crash and the victim.

Regardless of your mode of travel, please be careful, slow down, and be mindful of the other people you encounter. Learn more about this tragedy at the link below.

https://patch.com/illinois/skokie/medical-examiner-identifies-cyclist-killed-skokie-hit-run-crash

Who has been watching all of the bike Olympics events? And, what has been your favorite so far?

Paris 2024 Olympic Games | USA Cycling Follow along as we pedal to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on July 26 to August 11, 2024.

The next National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists, will be from March 11, 2025 through March 13, 2025!

The Brewery Ride to Ravina Brewing, hosted by the Chicago Cycling Club is our latest registered event for Let's Ride, Illinois! Our fourth annual event will be from Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 22, with rides already scheduled in Chicago, Evanston and Libertyville.

Find rides and how you can host your own ride at:
https://rideillinois.org/events/2024-lets-ride-illinois/

Looking for a bike ride this weekend? Saturday is the start of the Flock off the Block | Sullivan Woods Party 2024. Saturday is also our Pedal the Preserve with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Sunday is the Napervillerotaryride! For more events, check out our Ride Guide:

https://rideillinois.org/events/ride-guide/

The Breakfast Ride to Beard and Belly, hosted by the Evanston Bicycle Club, is one of our latest registered events for Let's Ride, Illinois! Our fourth annual event will be from Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 22, with rides already scheduled in Chicago, Evanston and Libertyville. Find rides and how you can host your own ride at:

https://rideillinois.org/events/2024-lets-ride-illinois/

Ride Illinois thanks Bicycle Club of Lake County for being an affiliated club and supporting our advocacy work. More information on affiliated clubs and community organizations is available on our website.

https://rideillinois.org/about-us/affiliated-clubs-organizations/

Morning vibes at the start of another busy day at Ride Illinois. Of course, our mug is filled with outstanding coffee from Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters ☕️🤤

We REALLY appreciate all of our members and supporters. Your financial contributions fund our important advocacy work and our strong desire to make Illinois better through biking. And to all who are advocating for positive change in your community, THANK YOU. Together, we will continue to make it safer and easier for adults and children to ride a bicycle in Illinois 👏🏻👏🏽👏🏿


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Ride Illinois would like to thank Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL) for renewing their corporate membership! CBBEL is a full-service consulting engineering and surveying firm committed to delivering accurate, timely and cost-effective solutions to a wide range of engineering and environmental challenges.

Contributions from our corporate members allow us to expand existing programs and explore other ways to increase safety and get more adults and children excited about cycling for recreation and transportation!

Learn more about our generous Corporate Members on our website.

https://rideillinois.org/corporate-members/

Hey, friend! Be awesome and lend your support to Ride Illinois. With annual memberships starting at just $15, your generosity will fuel our bike advocacy, education, and awareness work. Don't wait, click the link below and join today.

Your membership matters! During our Summer Membership Appeal, we’re asking you to support our important work by joining Ride Illinois for as little as $15. Your generous donation will fund our advocacy, education, and awareness efforts in 2024 and beyond. Click the link below to join today!

https://rideillinois.org/membership/

Looking for a bike ride this weekend? SAGBRAW and CowaLUNGa Bike Tour both begin on Saturday. Saturday is also Home of Hope Hammer for Hope! For more events, check out our Ride Guide:

https://rideillinois.org/events/ride-guide/

A NACTO report found that people took 157 million trips on bike and scooter share in 2023, surpassing the previous peak of 147 million trips in 2019. Trips in the U.S. increased by 16% in 2023, driven largely by the continued growth of e-bike trips on larger station-based systems.

https://nacto.org/2024/07/22/a-micromobility-record-157-million-trips-on-bike-and-scooter-share-in-2023/

A micromobility record: 157 million trips on bike share and scooter share in 2023 | National Association of City Transportation Officials Trips taken on bike share and scooter share systems in the U.S. and Canada reached an all-time high in 2023, according to a new analysis by the National Association of City Transportation Officials…

An eight-mile ride on the Chicago Lakefront Trail is our latest registered event for Let's Ride, Illinois! Our fourth annual event will be from Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 22, with rides already scheduled in Chicago and Libertyville. Find rides and how you can host your own ride at:

https://rideillinois.org/events/2024-lets-ride-illinois/

Looking for a bike ride this weekend? Saturday is the the We Keep You Rollin' Bike & Wellness Group Nite Ride & Wellness Pop-Up! For more events, check out our Ride Guide:

https://rideillinois.org/events/ride-guide/

The Village of Libertyville Bicycle Advisory Commission Community Bike Ride is our first registered event for Let's Ride, Illinois! Our fourth annual event will be from Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 22! Interested in hosting a ride? We have our first planning session today (Tuesday, July 23) at noon!

https://rideillinois.org/events/2024-lets-ride-illinois/

Ride Illinois enjoyed the opportunity to chat with teen drivers and their parents at the Ford Philanthropy's Driving Skills for Life workshop on Sunday.

Happy to share that our volunteers and the materials we shared arrived by bike, cuz we can bike there 👏🏻👏🏽👏🏿

Topics of our brief interactions included: 1) taking extra care when driving near bicyclists and pedestrians (including a request to complete our Motorist Quiz) and 2) a reminder that a bicycle is a great mode of travel for some trips 🙌🚲☺️

Thanks to Ford Philanthropy for inviting Ride Illinois to interact with workshop participants for the second year in a row.

Did you miss this month's edition of our newsletter? You can find the last several month's editions on our website and sign up to make sure that you do not miss our August issue!

https://rideillinois.org/newsletters/

Ride Illinois sends a huge shoutout to Taxman, Po***ck, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC for hopping on board with their corporate membership renewal! Taxman, Po***ck, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC is a personal injury law firm.

With the support from our awesome corporate partners, we can rev up our programs, boost safety, and spread the joy of cycling to folks of all ages!

Curious to know more about these fantastic Corporate Members? Swing by our website for all the details!

https://rideillinois.org/corporate-members/

This post and campaign will be of interest to some of our social media followers.

A group of area urbanists are organizing a stickering campaign for the DNC this August in Chicago. Their goal is to cover the city, especially the places DNC attendees will be, in pro-housing, pro-walkability, pro-biking, and pro-transit stickers to the point where it’s impossible to ignore.

Learn more and donate to the initiative at the link below.

Donate to Chicago Urbanists Need Funding to Sticker the DNC, organized by Ben Wolfenstein The DNC is coming to Chicago, and local urbanists want to cover t… Ben Wolfenstein needs your support for Chicago Urbanists Need Funding to Sticker the DNC

Where do you go by bike? Snap and share a photo with I Can Bike There...and inspire others to follow your lead!

https://www.icanbikethere.org/

Who wants stickers?! Share your I Can Bike There story by submitting a photo and we’ll send you some fun, colorful ICBT stickers 🥹🚴🏻❤️🚴🏾‍♀️

https://bit.ly/MyICanBikeThereStory

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Susan and some friends recently enjoyed a casual ride to Pollyanna Brewing Company. The route they chose was safe and includes neighborhood streets and marked bike lanes. It was a great summer day to enjoy a cold beer on the outdoor patio 😎😉👏🏽

Ride Illinois, Working Bikes, and Pointz are collaborating on this positive, empowering campaign to encourage and celebrate the use of bicycles for everyday trips 👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻

Ride Illinois will be at Sunday’s sessions chatting with teens and their parents about driving safely near bicyclists and pedestrians.

Space is limited. Register by visiting www.DrivingSkillsForLife.com/training

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WANTED - Teen drivers for a FREE, half-day safety in mobility program at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 20 or 21 with Ford Driving Skills for Life hosted by Ford Philanthropy and Governors Highway Safety Association. This half-day clinic will help teens improve their skills in:
• Hazard recognition
• Vehicle handling
• Speed and space management
• Braking and stopping distances
• Reaction time
• How to avoid the dangers of distracted and impaired driving
• Pedestrian/cycling safety

Looking for a bike ride with camping this weekend? Friday is the start of the Out Our Front Door Shabbona Woods Family Bike Campout and Saturday is the start of their Great Confluence.

For more events, check out our Ride Guide:

https://rideillinois.org/events/ride-guide/

Ride Illinois expresses gratitude to HNTB for renewing their corporate membership. HNTB is an employee-owned firm delivering infrastructure solutions that connect people and expand opportunity.

The contributions from our corporate partners enable us to enhance current initiatives and explore innovative avenues to promote cycling as a means of recreation and transportation, fostering enthusiasm among both adults and children.
Learn more about our generous Corporate Members on our website.

https://rideillinois.org/corporate-members/

We have exciting news about our Let's ride, Illinois! We have just extended the time frame to participate! Our fourth annual Let's Ride, Illinois! will now be from Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 22! Interested in hosting a ride? We have info on our webpage and will be hosting two different planning sessions.

https://rideillinois.org/events/2024-lets-ride-illinois/

Looking for a bike ride for this weekend? Sunday is the Biking with Beanzie Ride, the Bicycle Illinois Tri-State Tour Chicago Century #1 and the Skokie Bicycle Network Tales from the Trails!

For more events, check out our Ride Guide:
https://rideillinois.org/events/ride-guide/

The Chicago Grit series of races, which runs from July 19-28, is in need of volunteers for each event. Information about volunteering at the events in the following locations can be found at the link at the bottom of this post. Sign up to volunteer and please spread the word!

West Dundee
Glen Ellyn
Winfield
Mundelein
Lombard
Brookfield
Northbrook
Elgin
Lake Bluff
Fulton Market

https://chicago-grit.com/volunteer/

On this rainy Wednesday, we're looking for your most useful thing for riding in the rain -- that is NOT rain gear. This morning, I (Gina) dug back out two pieces of what is normally winter gear -- Bar Mitts, to keep my hands dry, and my winter face mask, to keep the rain from dripping down the collar of my one-size-fits-all rain jacket.