Earlier this month, two of Chicago's Black-led sustainable transportation groups joined forces for one last event to mark the end of the warm-weather cycling season. The sixth annual Chicago Bike Collective Ride was cohosted by the mobility justice nonprofit Equiticity and SouthSide Critical Mass, the south-of-Madison-Street sibling of the monthly Daley Plaza event.
The CBCR was actually two rides that rolled as one for a while. The massers met up at their usual first-Friday-of-the-month starting point in Nichols Park, 55th Street and Kimbark Avenue in Hyde Park. From there, they took an inland route to William David Park, 4101 S. Lake Park Ave. in the Oakland community area, where the Equiticity riders had gathered.
The two organizations rode together as one large group, north on Lake Park, west on Pershing Road, and north on King Drive. Then at 31st Street, Equiticity did a U-turn and continued south on a tour of public art before returning to David Park. SouthSide Mass headed north to get dinner at Wilma's Famous BBQ, 17 N. Wabash in the Loop, and then headed south on the Lakefront Trail back to Nichols Park.
Equiticity Community Mobility Rituals Lead Nayla Hale, who led their tour, provided Streetsblog Chicago with more info on the purpose of the convergence. "They’ve had this ride in partnership together to end the riding season for the last six years," she said. "It’s meant to uplift and unify the bike community of Chicago from cyclists, to bike shops, to advocacy groups, and youth programs. I’ve only lead the ride this year and last year."
"In past years the ride started and ended at Palmisano park [aka Stearn's Quarry Park, 2700 S. Halsted St. in Bridgeport] with a murals tour of Pilsen, but this year for the sixth annual ride we switched things up," Hale added. "This year our ride viewed some murals throughout Bronzeville and Hyde park as well as the [Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art sculpture garden] at our start and end point."
"It was a nice end to the season," longtime SSCM rider Danielle McKinnie told Streetsblog. "It was good to support a Black-owned business, and we appreciated Wilma's hosting us, and enjoyed their delicious food. It was a great way to end the season before SouthSide Critical Mass reconvenes on April 3.
Here's a gallery of more images from the rides.
Video via Equiticity.
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