Our November e-news contains relevant, useful information and stories.
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Dear Ride Illinois,

Thanks for your interest in Ride Illinois and our statewide, nonprofit bike advocacy work. Together, we’re making Illinois better through biking! We hope you enjoy this edition of our e-newsletter.

Ride Illinois’ monthly e-newsletter contains relevant, useful information and stories about biking for recreation and transportation in Illinois. If you appreciate what we do and are not a member, please join or make a donation by visiting rideillinois.org/join-support. Current members can check membership status and renew here.

 

Announcing the 2022 Grand Illinois Bike Tour!
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Registration for our 2022 Grand Illinois Bike Tour opened at the beginning of this month and 85 people are already registered! Join us next June for our 2022 loop, which will tour the heart of central Illinois. We will start and end at McLean County’s Comlara County Park with overnights in East Peoria (one night), Normal (two nights) and Pontiac (two nights).

Find out more information, and register, here.

 

Zero Traffic Deaths Resolution
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More than 40,000 people die each year on roads in the U.S. — the equivalent of a regional plane crashing daily. This is not OK! Nor should society accept this loss of life as “the price of doing business”. Ride Illinois has been collaborating with Families for Safe Streets to enlist support from U.S. senators and representatives for S. Res. 321 and H. Res. 565 which demand an end to roadway fatalities by 2050. To date, our coalition has met with staff from Senator Durbin and five representatives. If you’d like to join a meeting via Zoom with your elected officials, please contact dave@rideillinois.org to request more information.

 

Generous Ride Illinois-Affiliated Bike Clubs!
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We want to thank the Starved Rock Cycling Association, the Blackhawk Bicycle & Ski Club and the McHenry County Bicycle Club for their continued support of our advocacy work! SRCA recently donated $1,200 and both Blackhawk Bicycle & Ski Club and McHenry County Bicycle Club donated $1,000 to Ride Illinois! All three clubs are Platinum Level Affiliated Clubs.

Click here to learn more about our affiliated bike clubs and community organizations.

 

Ride Illinois Earns Gold Star Seal of Transparency
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Ride Illinois earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar! We share information about our organization and finances in order to earn the trust of our members and supporters. Now, everyone can view our financial details and learn about the people at our organization. Check out our updated Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar.

 

Ride Illinois Safely Courses: Whose Lane is it?
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Our Ride Illinois Safely program will host monthly online courses designed to educate drivers of motor vehicles how to drive safely near cyclists and increase safety for all road users. Our “Whose Lane is it?” courses will focus on the Illinois Rules of the Road, sharing the road, bike infrastructure, causes of common crashes, taking the lane, and what Ride Illinois teaches cyclists. The one-hour courses will take place on the last Tuesday of the month beginning on November 30. Find more information about the courses, and our Ride Illinois Safely program, here. Please help us spread the word and register for our course on November 30.

 

LAB New “Reconnecting to the New Majority” Report
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The League of American Bicyclists recently released a new report, summarizing what many of us already know: people of all races, incomes, and ages want safer bicycling. We encourage you to check out the “Reconnecting to the New Majority” report, which looks at diversity and equity in bicycling. You can also view their recent webinar on the report’s findings here.

 

Connections in Champaign-Urbana
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Bike infrastructure, such as side paths and bike lanes, is quite common in Champaign-Urbana. Much credit goes to Champaign County Bikes (CCB) for their ongoing advocacy efforts in the area over the past 15 years! Ride Illinois’ executive director, Dave Simmons, recently spent several, action-packed days touring bike/ped infrastructure, meeting with advocates, and experiencing the perks and challenges of riding a bike in the C-U area. The visit culminated with a social gathering at a local establishment attended by long-time CCB members, U of I students, municipal staff, and concerned citizens. While there is much for bicyclists and pedestrians to celebrate, CCB and local advocates aren’t satisfied and will continue their efforts to push for connected, safer bike/ped infrastructure in their community.

 

Upcoming Events

Ride Illinois helps to promote the organized rides of our affiliated bike clubs and supporting organizations with our annual Ride Guide and our Ride & Advocacy Calendar. Below are some events we think you’ll appreciate:

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Photos from 2nd Annual Chicago Bike Collective Ride & trip to Champaign-Urbana

 

Ride Illinois

Making Illinois Better Through Biking!

rideillinois.org

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Learn more at rideillinois.org
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