Dear Ride Illinois,

Thanks for your interest in Ride Illinois – your statewide, nonprofit bike advocacy organization. For all of 2022, Ride Illinois has been celebrating our 30th anniversary, including the accomplishments and friendships that have been a direct result of advocacy work. With the support of members, we will continue to make Illinois better through biking! If you are not already a member, please join today as Ride Illinois begins its next 30 years of important bike advocacy, education, and awareness efforts.

Ride Illinois created this 9-minute video to celebrate our 30th anniversary. The video is part celebration, part interview, and part fun. Enjoy the video and learning more about the Ride Illinois Community!

Visit rideillinois.org/join-support to join or donate to support the critical work to make biking safer and easier in Illinois. Current and past members can check membership status and giving history at this link.

Happy Holidays!

Survey of Cycling on Rural Highways

The Illinois Department of Transportation is asking for your help with a research survey about cycling on rural highways. Please take 15 minutes to complete the survey! Survey responses will be collected until the middle of January.

The results will indicate which variables are more relevant to users to ride a bike (or not) on rural highways. Based on the results, IDOT will recommend future research on how to improve and/or revise existing Highway Capacity Manual bicycle evaluation and/or Green Book design guidance to accommodate users’ revealed preferences

2023 Grand Illinois Bike Tour

Join us June 11-16, 2023 for the 20th annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour (GIBT). Our 2023 loop will tour northwest Illinois including the Mississippi River and the Quad Cities. We’ll start and end at Kewanee High School with overnights in Moline (two nights), Savanna (one night) and Rock Falls (two nights). Choose among our daily mileage options for a total between 210 to 375 miles, consisting mainly of quiet rural roads as well as some paved trails around Kewanee, the Quad Cities, following the Mississippi River to Savanna and then to Rock Falls.

Interested? Consider registering soon, as less than 30 hotel rooms remain!

Proceeds from this fundraiser support Ride Illinois’ mission. Find more information, including registration, here.

Support from Ride Illinois-Affiliated Bike Clubs

Many thanks to Team 224, the McHenry County Bicycle Club and the Springfield Bicycle Club for their continued support. Team 224 is a Bronze Level Affiliated Club and McHenry County Bicycle Club is a Silver Level Affiliated Club. Springfield Bicycle Club is a Platinum Level Affiliated Club. You can find more information about Affiliated Clubs and Community Organizations on our website.

Indulge your Love for Coffee and Biking

Did you say coffee?! We are excited to announce a collaboration between Ride Illinois and Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters! For every bag of Rocket Fuel Blend coffee that Maple Leaf sells, $2 will be donated directly to Ride Illinois. Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters has been a Silver Level Corporate Member since 2020 and is a local, artisan coffee roaster based in Roselle. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by the shop in Roselle to say hello to Alex…and pick up some great coffee!

2024 Highway Safety Plan Committee

As you’ve likely heard, injuries and fatalities on Illinois roads have been increasing in recent years. Over 1,300 motorists, bicyclist, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users died on Illinois roads in 2021 (the latest available data). Ride Illinois is on the committee working to develop the next iteration of IDOT’s Highway Safety Plan (HSP). The purpose of these collaborative conversations is to identify strategies to include in the HSP that aim to reverse the alarming trend. Another goal is to establish parameters for funding opportunities that Illinois-based organizations, agencies, and nonprofits can tap into to lend their knowledge, support, and resources. This is an important role for Ride Illinois and one that we take very seriously.

New & Renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities

Congratulations to Warrenville and Edwardsville on their Bicycle Friendly Communities designations, as part of the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly America program! Warrenville renewed their Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) designation. Edwardsville was just awarded their first Bronze Level BFC designation, after previously receiving an honorable mention in 2021. We also want to congratulate Frankfort for their honorable mention!

Illinois now has 18 Bicycle Friendly Communities, 25 Bicycle Friendly Businesses and 12 Bicycle Friendly Universities! Click here to learn more about how to help your community become more bicycle friendly.

Ride Illinois Renews Gold Star Seal of Transparency

Ride Illinois earned a 2022 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.

Planned Giving

Would you like to ensure that our important bike advocacy efforts continue for many years? Do you value an organization that speaks on behalf of cyclists all around Illinois? If so, become a Ride Illinois Legacy Society member to make a lasting commitment to make Illinois better through biking!

Make a planned gift by including Ride Illinois in your will or living trust. One can leave Ride Illinois a percentage of an estate, a fixed dollar amount, or an asset such as real estate. One can also name Ride Illinois as a beneficiary of an IRA or a life insurance policy. Visit rideillinois.org/legacy-giving/ to learn more. Contact us at info@rideillinois.org to inform us of your intent to include Ride Illinois in your estate plans. We’ll add your name to the list of generous donors on the Legacy Giving page on our website.

Upcoming Events

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