Relevant news, updates, and encouragement from Ride Illinois to your inbox!
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Greetings
Thanks for your interest in Ride Illinois and our efforts to make Illinois better through biking! Individual contributions fund our work focused on bike advocacy, education and awareness. Learn how you can support Ride Illinois at rideillinois.org/join-support.
2023 Annual Member Meeting
Save the date of Saturday, April 29, 2023 for our annual member meeting! We are still ironing out the details but the meeting will start at 5pm via Zoom.
Generosity
Affiliated Bike Clubs
Many thanks toG.O.A.T.S. Cycling for their continued support of our advocacy work. Learn more about affiliated clubs and community organizations on our website.
Corporate Member News
Bicycle Illinois recently renewed its Corporate Membership! Bicycle Illinois is a bicycle touring company that offers many multi-day tours and some single day tours.
Click here to learn more about our generous Corporate Members.
Community
Webinar: International Women’s Day: Together We Ride
Join us at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 to learn about International Women’s Day: Together We Ride! This year’s event will be from March 8-12 and aims to celebrate the achievements, persistence and future of women and girls around by participating in a bike ride in honor of International Women’s Day. The webinar will be hosted by Dawn Piech. Register here.
New out in 2022, this is the true story of a mother and her teenage son cycling the Transamerica Bicycle Trail. The mother/author is a licensed clinical therapist. Her son has both challenges and gifts of his own. The journey is an internal one,as well as the physical journey.
From epic adventures to practical advice, to the benefits of biking, there are lots of books about bikes out there! Send your suggestions to info@rideIllinois.org and we may include it in a future newsletter.
Education & Safety
Safety Tip of the Month
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we chose riding in pairs as this month’s safety tip. Riding two abreast is permitted as long as the normal and reasonable movement of traffic is not impeded, per state statute. (Click herefor a summary of the laws that pertain to bicyclists in Illinois.)
Two people riding bikes side-by-side on the trail is often permitted. Be predictable and aware of your surroundings. Be considerate to others – including your riding partner and other road/trail users. When necessary, ride single file – for both on road and on the trail. For more tips, check out our webinars, our Ride Illinois Safely courses and, of course, our BikeSafetyQuiz!
Environment & Awareness
Petition to Award Major Taylor Congressional Gold Medal
The Major Taylor Initiative was established by the Bronzeville Trail Task Force to advocate for the recognition of Marshall W. “Major” Taylor - an African American professional cyclist. Taylor may be the greatest American sprinter of all time. He became the first African American to become the cycling champion of the world and earned the title of the “world’s fastest man.”
Click here to sign the petition and spread the word!
Year of the E-Bike
The American Planning Association named 2022 the year of the e-bike. Alex Brown writes “As electric bicycles, or e-bikes, grow in popularity, enthusiasts increasingly see them as a tool to reduce traffic and air pollution. States, cities, and utilities have begun offering vouchers or rebates to help residents buy e-bikes. Some places are pairing such programs with a renewed effort to expand bike lanes and connect cycling corridors. That switch, leaders say, is cheaper, faster to implement, and requires fewer resources for manufacturing and charging than electric cars need.” Read the full article here.
Advocacy & Infrastructure
Congratulations to Illinois’ Bicycle Friendly Businesses
Congratulations to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Taylorville Memorial Hospital on their Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) designations, through the League of American Bicyclists! We also want to congratulate The Burke Group (Rosemont) on their Platinum Level BFB renewal! Read the official Bicycle Friendly Business announcement here.
Bicyclist-Truck crashes are among deadliest. While large trucks comprise 4% of registered vehicles, they are involved in 10% of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. In this webinar, hosted by League of American Bicyclists, you'll hear from Alex Epstein, from the US DOT Volpe Center, an expert on large truck and vulnerable road user interactions, and what the research shows about the effectiveness of side guards. You'll also hear from Marianne Karth of TEAM Underride - a group of survivor advocates who have been leading the fight for safer trucks.
Date and Time: February 22 at 1pm CST. Click here to register.
Events Calendar
Ride Illinois strives to promote meaningful events offered by local clubs, community organizations, and partners. Below are some upcoming events that may be of interest:
