The organizers of the annual Sadie Hawkins Style Ride describe the event as "an all-skill-level, self-guided, scavenger-hunt-style bicycle ride, open to anyone that wants to ride." They add, "We dress in costumes or high-style gear, and bicycle decorations are encouraged as well. The ride is as long or as short as anyone wants to go, with an excellent afterparty and prizes afterwards."
But all of this fun stuff has a purpose. Last year they raised more than $1,000 for the Chicago Abortion Fund, and their goal is to double that this year. The ride meets on Saturday, October 25, at 3 p.m. at Palmer Square Park, 2201 N. Kedzie Blvd. in the Logan Square neighborhood. The organizers are asking for a $30 donation from participants, with all of the money going directly to the cause.
The Sadie Hawkins ride was started in 2005. Nowadays, the main organizer for the ride is Vernon Schleyer, a local public defender. Marie Snyder, who's thrown the ride several times, also still helps out. Schleyer said he's "always been very, very involved in the bicycle scene, and the culture, and group rides, and fun rides, and fundraisers. And this is just a way to try and keep that culture going."
Schleyer said that besides raising funds for CAF, the event is also about having a good time and getting out in the community. "And the idea is just to make it silly and fun," he said. "So, usually, there might be challenges we give the riders. If people wear costumes, we usually give a prize for the best costume. You go to local bike shops, and you might go to local taverns. Last year, we tried to center it around historical events that happened in Chicago. So we sent people to the Haymarket [Affair site] or to Jane Addams' [Hull House site] and things like that."
So what will this year's ride be like? "I'm leaning towards making it more family-friendly," Schleyer said. "I'm going to be 50 this year, and I have quite a few friends who would love to bring their pre-teen or teenager along. So I think I'm going to do two sets of checkpoints. One is shorter for younger riders, and one is longer for people who want more of an adventure."
Many of the people currently involved in the Sadie Hawkins ride have previously participated in bike messenger-style "alleycat" races. Those also involve planning a route after being given a list of checkpoints, similar to a day of old-school cycle courier work. However, Schleyer emphasized that while there are similarities, the Sadie Hawkins Style ride is not a competition.
"People can do it at their own speed," he said. "They can do as many checkpoints or as few checkpoints as they want. It's a fundraiser, and it's about having a really joyous day in Chicago in the fall. So, it's messenger-style in that you have to route yourself. But it's absolutely not a race, because this is supposed to be more inclusive. It's for every style of rider of every age."
According to CAF's Director of Advocacy Communications Alicia Hurtado, the nonprofit is the largest independent abortion fund in the country. It provides support for those in need of reproductive healthcare from both Illinois and other states, such as helping with travel, lodging, child care, and meal stipends, and connecting people to any emotional support that they might need.
"On the state level, we've done a lot to work with elected officials to ensure that Illinois is really shoring up our protections, not only for people who are coming to our state to access abortion care, but also people who are accessing abortion care who are Illinois residents, as well as the amazing providers and clinicians in our state," Hurtado said. Some examples of that include, before the [Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade] came down, we worked on repealing the parental notice [requirement] of abortion care in Illinois, meaning that young people can access abortion care without being legally required to notify a parent or a guardian.
"We also in Illinois have the Patient and Provider Protection Act that was the first proactive piece of legislation surrounding protections for abortion seekers and their providers nationwide," Hurtado added. "And last year, Illinois passed the birth equity bill that includes abortion access, but goes beyond just abortion to think through really inventive and exciting policies surrounding birth equity, from supporting local birth centers to removing co-pays for things like abortion pills, as well as providing insurance coverage for things like doulas and midwives, and support after you give birth."
Hurtado said that CAF appreciated partnering with the Sadie Hawkins to support abortion access last year, and that the nonprofit is excited and grateful that they've been chosen to be partners again this year. "These types of community events that mobilize neighbors and friends and community in support of abortion access are so critical in this moment when people across the country are unable to access the abortion care that they want and need," she said.
"We're really seeing that these events not only directly support abortion seekers who are coming to Illinois for care through benefiting The Chicago Abortion Fund, but they also bring people together and open up the opportunity for people to talk about abortion care, share their own experiences, and really destigmatize what is safe, common, normal healthcare," Hurtado concluded. "But in this political climate, [reproductive care] has been so politicized and for too long, has been an issue that people think we have to be hush hush about and not talk about publicly."
Find more info about the Sadie Hawkins Style Ride on their Facebook page.
Learn more about the Chicago Abortion Fund at its website.
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