Bike The Drive

MB Bike The Drive is a recreational, non-competitive bicycle ride held each year in Chicago, in which Lake Shore Drive is cleared of motor vehicle traffic and opened exclusively to bicyclists for several hours beginning at dawn. The event benefits bicycling advocacy work in the region by the Active Transportation Alliance, formerly known as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. Since 2004, Bike The Drive has been held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. In 2006, an estimated 20,000 riders participated in the event.

Since 2010 it has been sponsored by MB Financial Bank. It was previously sponsored by Bank of America.

Route

The route extends nearly the entire length of the famous roadway, from 57th Street on the South Side to Bryn Mawr Avenue on the North Side. The maximum route length is 30 miles (48 km), with riders beginning at Grant Park, going to the South and North extremes, and then returning to the starting point. Rest areas with refreshments and repair services are located at the north and south ends of the route, as well as the starting point. In addition, volunteers riding with the participants and stationed along the route offer assistance to riders. A festival in Grant Park follows the event, and includes music, food, cycling-related activities, and vendors and exhibitors.

History

Bike The Drive was launched by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation in 2002 to raise funds for programs to expand the Chicago area's bicycle transportation network, promote bicycling as a mode of transportation, improve bicycling conditions and traffic safety, and provide bicyclists with a variety of resources and support.

The event is organized in coordination with the City of Chicago, its agencies and departments.^[1]

Past event dates

See also

• Cycling in Chicago

References

External links

• Official Site
• Active Transportation Alliance
• Video of riding in Bike The Drive
• MB Financial Bank

Grant Park
Features and attractions	Art Institute of Chicago Auditorium Building BP Pedestrian Bridge Buckingham Fountain Burnham Pavilions Chicago Lakefront Trail Grant Park Symphony Orchestra Lake Michigan Maggie Daley Park Millennium Park Monroe Harbor Museum Campus Nichols Bridgeway Petrillo Music Shell
Public art	8th Street Fountain Abraham Lincoln: The Head of State Agora Big Beaver Totem Pole The Bowman and The Spearman Bust of Sir Georg Solti Chicago Stock Exchange Arch Cloud Gate Christopher Columbus Crown Fountain Cubi VII Flying Dragon Fountain of the Great Lakes Fountain of the Tritons General John Logan Memorial Joseph Rosenberg Fountain Large Interior Form Lions Man Enters the Cosmos Man with Fish Olmec Head, Number 8 Spirit of Music
Events	Bike The Drive Festival Chicago Blues Festival Chicago Jazz Festival Chicago Marathon Grant Park Music Festival Lollapalooza Taste of Chicago Democratic National Convention protests (1968) Barack Obama election victory speech (2008)
Area streets	Balbo Drive Columbus Drive Congress Parkway Historic Michigan Boulevard District Jackson Boulevard Lake Shore Drive Michigan Avenue Monroe Street Randolph Street Roosevelt Road
Other	Burnham Plan of Chicago Metra Electric District Millennium Station Municipal Grant Park Stadium South Shore Line