Bike the Drive

{{Infobox recurring event

| name = Bike the Drive

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| image = Bike the Drive ride Chicago 2022.jpg

| image_size = 280

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| caption = 2022 ride

| status = Active

| genre = Recreational, non-competitive bicycle ride

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| frequency = Annually on Labor Day weekend

| venue = Lake Shore Drive

| location = Chicago, Illinois

| coordinates = {{coord|41.931920|N|87.632081|W|format=dms|type:event|display=inline,title}}

| country = United States of America

| first = {{start date and age|2002|06|09}}

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| attendance = approximately 20,000

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| organised = Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
City of Chicago

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| sponsor = Fifth Third Bank {{small|(since 2019)}}

| website = {{URL|bikethedrive.org}}

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Bike the Drive or Fifth Third Bike the Drive is a recreational, non-competitive bicycle ride held each year in Chicago. 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 usually been held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, though it was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, and thereafter it has been held on Labor Day weekend. In 2006, an estimated 20,000 riders participated in the event. The event is sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and branded as Fifth Third Bike the Drive; it was previously sponsored by MB Financial Bank from 2010 to 2018 and prior to 2010, was sponsored by Bank of America.

Route

File:ChicagoBikeTheDrive.jpg

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 {{convert|30|mi|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.{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/136.html |title=Bicycling |work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |date=2005 |access-date=19 December 2016}}

In 2020 the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.{{cite news |last1=Blumberg |first1=Nick |title=Bike the Drive Set to Return Labor Day Weekend |url=https://news.wttw.com/2021/06/09/bike-drive-set-return-labor-day-weekend |access-date=December 18, 2021 |work=WTTW News |date=June 9, 2021 |language=en}} In 2021, the ride was moved from the Sunday before Memorial Day to the Sunday before Labor Day,{{cite news |author1=CBS 2 Chicago Staff |title=Bike The Drive Returns To Lakefront This Sunday |url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/09/04/bike-the-drive-lake-shore-drive/ |access-date=December 18, 2021 |work=CBS 2 |publisher=CBS Broadcasting Inc. |date=September 4, 2021}} and has since made the move permanent.{{cite news |last1=Rumore |first1=Kori |title=Bike the Drive Chicago 2022 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-chicago-bike-the-drive-map-2022-20220901-xwira4h5s5hjpdgm5cd6uqikwm-story.html |access-date=5 September 2022 |publisher=The Chicago Tribune |date=1 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905052120/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-chicago-bike-the-drive-map-2022-20220901-xwira4h5s5hjpdgm5cd6uqikwm-story.html |archive-date=5 September 2022}}