Winter Bike to Work Day 2013

Details

Time: January 18, 2013 from 6:30am to 9am
Location: Daley Plaza
Street: Dearborn and Washington
City/Town: Chicago
Website or Map: http://goo.gl/maps/aZq2A
Event Type: bike, rally
Organized By: Active Transportation Alliance
Latest Activity: Jan 18

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Description

Stop by Daley Plaza in Chicago’s Loop on Jan. 18 for the annual celebration of cyclists who don’t let low temperatures stop them from pedaling to work.

Warm up with free Caribou coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, as well as free slices of Eli’s Cheesecake from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Daley Plaza, located at Washington Street and Dearborn Street. Winter Bike to Work Day has long been celebrated in the shadow of City Hall and The Picasso, and is now even more accessible for Chicago’s cyclists via the new Dearborn Street protected bike lane, which opened shortly before Christmas, 2012.

Rally attendees will receive free fleece balaclavas, courtesy of The Chainlink and Bike Winter. There will also be a raffle for several great prizes, which include a case of Clif Bars and a free registration to MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive.

Jan. 18 also marks the opening of registration for Bike the Drive. Get a jump on your summer by signing up for this world-class bike ride, to be held on May 26.

Winter Bike to Work Day, organized by the Active Transportation Alliance, commemorates the coldest day in Chicago history—Jan. 20, 1985—when the official temperature at O’Hare International Airport was 27 degrees below zero.

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Comment by yai danche on January 18, 2013 at 6:12pm: @ATA

Speaking of shirts, do you typically have a lot of leftover shirts for summer's Bike to Work? I get asked where to buy one when I wear mine. Should definitely sell them online after the rally.

Comment by Crafty Cycling Chick on January 18, 2013 at 5:51pm: Adam,

I understand your disappointment for not being able to get a free fleece balaclava. I apologize for not bringing the ones reserved for the CCM Polka Ride and Tour of West Ridge as backup batches.

The fleece goodies distributed today were made possible by a $$ donation from Andrew Bedno to Bike Winter and were cut/sewn by volunteers.

I will be making more balaclavas, gaiters, and scarves at the next Open Craft Night (Tues. 1/22). You can get one that night (or at any Open Craft Night until April 30), at the CCM Polka Ride, or at the rescheduled Tour of West Ridge.

My only "corporate sponsor" for fleece has been Illinois Bike Attorneys (THANK YOU!!!) so I rely on donations from individuals to continue the Bike Winter tradition of providing free fleece goodies to cyclists to encourage them to ride year-round.

Again, my apologies for not having enough balaclavas at the event today.

-willow

Comment by Anne Alt on January 18, 2013 at 4:34pm: Fun social event. I enjoyed chatting with the folks who were still around when I got there. Happy Friday!

Comment by yai danche on January 18, 2013 at 12:59pm: a lot more people showed up than i expected. thanks for the free coffee and cheesecake! i don't work in the loop, but it's cool to see non-messenger people ride their bikes to work, too. i'm impressed that someone hauled the trailer full of stuff there.

Comment by Active Transportation Alliance on January 18, 2013 at 12:18pm: We're always looking for sponsors for this event, we make a lot of asks but haven't been able to get cash (which would support free T-shirts). If you know anyone who might be interested, please have them email katie @ activetrans.org. Thanks again to everyone who showed up, we had a blast! Ethan, Active Trans

Comment by Sarah D. 1-3.3 on January 18, 2013 at 11:10am: The free balaclavas made on her own dime by Crafty Cycling Chick (who was there all morning) and helpers were there for a good hour and a half at least, probably before you made it, but another batch came out around 8:30 and was snapped up quickly. Adam, join a Tuesday craft night and you can make your own, and some for others!

Oh, and the digs at Active Trans, which coordinates the event, so of course they'll have a tent, are annoying. What have you done to help make Chicago more livable lately? They are a great organization!

Comment by David Barish on January 18, 2013 at 10:59am: I picked up a fleece balaclava and will be happy to part with it. I tend to overheat. If you are in the loop you can pm me.

Comment by Duppie 13.5185km on January 18, 2013 at 10:28am: No, you weren't too late, you are just too picky ;)

If a balaclava was all you wanted, you should visit your local bikeshop. The one I visit did get a box full of balaclavas earlier this winter. It's my understanding that a lot of bikeshops got them, courtesy of BikeWinter.

Comment by Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) on January 18, 2013 at 10:05am: No, but apparently I was too late to get any free giveaways (I don't eat cheese cake). I just feel bait-and-switched because I came for the balaclava and instead was presented with yet another Active Trans membership push tent. A simple "balaclavas are in limited supply" message would have sufficed. I guess I was wrong to assume that this event would be anything other than an advertisement for Active Trans.

Comment by Julie Hochstadter on January 18, 2013 at 9:53am: Adam - seriously? You're complaining about not enough free stuff?

I didn't see you out rallying and thanking cyclists (and freezing your ass) at 6:30 am. And I don't remember seeing you help us make the 60 pieces of fleece balachlavas we made at willows....