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Jun
27
Written by:
jmeddy
6/27/2012 3:24 PM
 On Sunday, May 27th, the "CIF Dream Team" successfully completed its first ride in Chicago's annual MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive event. Our team joined in with thousands of other cyclists for the one day in the year when the length of Lake Shore Drive was open to cyclists and closed to auto traffic. What a great way to start the day and it was wonderful to be part of such an exciting event!
This was the first year that CIF participated in this event, and it proved to be an energizing, motivating, and fulfilling experience for all of our riders. Unlike the Chicago Marathon, Bike the Drive was not a race, but an experience, open to any and all interested bikers. The CIF community was eager to be a part of the action!
Throughout the spring, we put together a Dream Team of CIF participants, staff, community members, and friends. Each team member raised money for CIF by creating personalized fundraising web pages and talking to their friends and family about supporting the work that we do at Center for Independent Futures. We were all excited about being able to raise funds for an organization we believe in.
 In addition to fundraising, our team also got serious about physical training in preparation for the event. Participants worked with their tutors to tune up their bikes, practice long-distance biking, explore new biking routes, and ensure they were ready with helmets, water bottles, and matching T-shirts. Alex Anon, a friend of CIF and local bike shop owner, led a portion of our team in a practice group ride. We all met in Calvary Cemetery in south Evanston to take advantage of the smooth roads without any car traffic. Alex taught the group about how to ride safely in a group and provided valuable tips about changing gears and maintaining our bikes. By the time May 27th rolled around, our team was ready!
 Check out our photos in the web photo gallery!
 We started the day at 4 a.m., when participants heard their alarms ringing in their dark bedrooms. By 4:30, riders were finishing breakfast and meeting up with their carpools. CIF staff person, LaNae Meyers worked with her husband Randy to load all of the team's bicycles onto their two pickup trucks. Once loaded, off they went into downtown Chicago to meet the group at our designated location: Buckingham Fountain. Some riders met at the EL to ride downtown together; others drove cars. Around 6 a.m., Team CIF convened in front of Buckingham Fountain and everyone let out a cheer – the hardest part of the day was simply getting to the event!
By 7 a.m., the team was ready to go. We biked north along Lake Shore Drive from Jackson to Bryn Mawr, admiring the sparkling water on Lake Michigan and reveling in the quiet hum of bike tires on the highway road. It was amazing to join with so many bikers, and our participants did a great job. By the time we reached our destination, everyone was beaming with pride and a sense of accomplishment.
Matt Palmore, a CIF resident and participant, who tracked our progress on an app on his cell phone, announced that we had biked 9 miles – his personal record! Andrea Harris, another CIF resident and participant, was so inspired she wants to start a CIF Biking Club this summer. Even CIF’s Executive Director, Jane Doyle, and her husband Dave joined the ride. Everyone was amazed at how far we had gone and how much fun it was. We will definitely be participating in Bike the Drive 2013!
To all those who believed in us and supported us in this event, thank you! Our team was so inspired and empowered, it was truly a memorable and encouraging event for our community.
Check out our photos in the web photo gallery!
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