Cyclists will take over Lake Shore Drive Sunday
More than 16,500 cyclists participated in the Fifth Third Bike the Drive fundraiser in 2022, and there's still time to swell the ranks this Sunday.
Online registration for the popular event along Chicago's iconic DuSable Lake Shore Drive is open until late Saturday, according to the Active Transportation Alliance, which organizes the annual fundraiser.
Walk-ins also can sign up Sunday, although advance registration is encouraged because there might be lines, ATA Communications Director Ted Villaire said Friday.
Bike the Drive is a scenic 30-mile course that features Lake Michigan and Chicago skyline views, while helping raise revenues for the ATA, which advocates for cyclists and pedestrians in the Chicago region.
All lanes of the typically busy corridor will be closed in both directions for the event.
To serve suburban cyclists heading to Lake Shore Drive, Metra is adding trains Sunday morning.
On the BNSF Line, an extra train will leave Aurora at 5:10 a.m. and an outbound train will depart Union Station at 11:40 a.m.
On the Union Pacific Northwest Line, an extra morning train will leave from Crystal Lake at 5:15 a.m. with an outbound train setting off at 1:30 p.m. from Ogilvie Transportation Center.
All trains will have a bike car with racks in addition to spaces in other cars.
Bike the Drive will run from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. The main location is at Butler Field in Chicago's Grant Park, 235 S. Columbus Drive. A related festival with music, refreshments and family activities is set from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Grant Park.
For more information, go to bikethedrive.org or metra.com.