View source for Bike the Drive

{{Short description|Non competitive bicycle ride in Chicago}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| name         = Bike the Drive<!--Uses page name if omitted-->
| native_name  = 
| native_name_lang = 
| logo         = 
| logo_alt     =
| logo_caption = 
| logo_size    =
| image        = Bike the Drive ride Chicago 2022.jpg
| image_size   = 280
| alt          =
| caption      = 2022 ride
| status       = Active<!-- e.g. defunct, active, inactive ... -->
| genre        = Recreational, non-competitive bicycle ride<!-- e.g. natural phenomena, fairs, festivals, conferences, exhibitions ... -->
| date         = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} "dates=" also works, but do not use both -->
| begins       = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} -->
| ends         = <!-- {{end date|YYYY|mm|dd}} -->
| frequency    = Annually on [[Labor Day]] weekend<!-- Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-annually, Annually, Bi-annually, 2nd Tuesday of November, etc. -->
| 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}}
| founder_name = <!-- or | founders = -->
| last         = <!-- Date of most recent event; if the event will not be held again, use {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
| prev         = 
| next         = 
| participants = 
| attendance   = approximately 20,000
| capacity     =
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| organised    = Chicagoland Bicycle Federation<br>[[City of Chicago]]<!-- "organized=" also works -->
| filing       = 
| people       = 
| member       = 
| sponsor      = Fifth Third Bank {{small|(since 2019)}}
| website      = {{URL|bikethedrive.org}}
| footnotes    = 
}}
'''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|thumb|left|2005 ride]]
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 (Chicago)|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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

In 2020 the event was cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]].<ref name="wttw-2020-cancel-18dec'21">{{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}}</ref> In 2021, the ride was moved from the Sunday before Memorial Day to the Sunday before Labor Day,<ref name="cbs2-2021-4sept'21">{{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}}</ref> and has since made the move permanent.<ref name="2022Trib">{{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}}</ref>

==Past event dates==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
* June 9, 2002
* June 15, 2003
* May 30, 2004
* May 29, 2005
* May 28, 2006
* May 27, 2007
* May 25, 2008
* May 24, 2009
* May 30, 2010
* May 29, 2011
* May 27, 2012
* May 26, 2013
* May 25, 2014
* May 24, 2015
* May 29, 2016
* May 28, 2017
* May 27, 2018
* May 26, 2019
* September 5, 2021
* September 4, 2022
* September 3, 2023
* September 1, 2024
{{col-end}}

==See also==
{{portal|Chicago}}
*[[Cycling in Chicago]]
*[[Boulevard Lakefront Tour]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{commonscat|Bike the Drive}}
==External links==
*[http://www.bikethedrive.org/ Official Site]
*[http://www.activetrans.org Active Transportation Alliance]
*[http://vimeo.com/12166211 Video of riding in Bike the Drive]

{{Bicycling in Chicago}}
{{Grant Park}}
{{Lincoln Park}}
[[Category:Cycling in Chicago]]
[[Category:Festivals in Chicago]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 2002]]
[[Category:Cycling events in the United States]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Open-streets events]]
[[Category:Annual events in Illinois]]
[[Category:Cycling in Illinois]]

{{cycling-stub}}
{{Illinois-sport-stub}}