The Chicago Family Bike Fest brought bikes, sunshine and no shortage of smiles to Lakeview. Hundreds of families walked and rolled to the festival, held in a parking lot at 3120 N. Greenview Ave., for a biking celebration that blended education with fun.
Photo: TK Photography
Younger kids enjoyed some music presented by the early childhood arts enrichment center Bubbles Academy, and did yoga with Buddha Belly Kids Yoga. Reps from the family activity platform Macaroni Kid Chicago brought decorations to dazzle up bikes and scooters.
Photo: TK Photography
Parents accessed a plethora of resources about biking with kids, including bike camping, and test rode bikes from the Family Bike Zoo organized by Four Star Family Cyclery. Independent bikers (and balance bikers!) tested their skills on an obstacle course and played cycling games aimed to improve handling and confidence.
Photo: TK Photography
Bike safety experts from Ride Illinois, Roscoe Village Bikes, the city's Chicago Safe Ambassadors, and Chicago Family Biking fit helmets, performed bike safety checks, and shared safe cycling tips. TK Photography Chicago hosted an adorable bike photo snapshot booth. Local U.S. Congressional rep Mike Quigley even showed up with his mountain bike.
Mike Quigley and Rebecca Resman. Photo: TK Photography
Organized by Chicago Family Biking, this free event was made possible thanks to a community grant from Special Service Area #27, which covers West Lakeview.
Roscoe Village Kidical Mass
Roscoe Village Kidical Mass is one of several volunteer-led Kidical Mass group rides for families throughout the city. On Sunday, RVKM met up at Audubon Elementary School, 3500 N. Hoyne Ave., and triumphantly rode on the recently finished concrete-protected bike lanes on Campbell Avenue between Roscoe and Belmont avenues.
Map of the route. Image: Rebecca Resman
The large group then took Melrose Avenue over to the 312 RiverRun trail network and headed north over the recently opened Riverview Bridge. We stopped along the way for some fun at a splash pad before looping back to the starting point.
Roscoe Village Kidical Mass rides on the Riverview Bridge, aka the Hot Doug. Photo: Rebecca Resman
While Roscoe Village Critical Mass mostly rides on streets shared with drivers, bike lanes with physical protection to shield cyclists from traffic makes riding so much more enjoyable for this group of newer riders. Organized by Chicago Family Biking, this event takes place on the first Sunday of the month and is open to the public.
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