L.A.T.E. Ride

I did the LATE ride about 5 years ago and this year was a completely different route. After stopping in Humboldt Park for a rest area, I was almost run over by an irate driver. There was quite a scene when one of the bikers started yelling at the driver, who then proceeded to run over his bike and take off, dragging it underneath his car with sparks flying everywhere. There was absolutely no security at the park, or anywhere after we left the park. You would think that there might be someone available to help so close to the park, but there was no one. This event scared my wife so bad that we practically rode in silence for the rest of the ride. We will not be doing this ride again as I feel there should be more security available THROUGHOUT the entire ride.

My review is based off my experience riding the 2012 and 2014 events. It’s worth noting that this event is not for everyone. Part of the fun of this event is the fact that it IS packed with cyclists riding through the streets of Chicago in the early morning and making drivers miserable! If you don’t like crowds, then don’t bother :) This advent is for the thick skinned and adventurous at heart.
With all that said, the event organization really has taken a steep decline in 2014 from 2012. I’m told that event management has changed after 2012, and unfortunately, not for the better.
The actual ride was fun as usual, however, the value was not worth the $ 45 registration fee. You could have done the ride without registering at all, as no one was checking bibs.
In 2012, there was so much energy and excitement while cyclists were lining up. Sure, it took awhile to get started, but it was awesome seeing the sea of bike riders going down Columbus Drive. In 2014, there was absolutely no signage at the start except literally the last second. I believe there used to be some guys from a radio station pumping up the crowd, but now it is just some loud music.
I was also really disappointed in the «goodies» this year. For other races in Chicago, you get a lot more for your registration fee. This year, the LATE ride only provided water and some very small granola bars from Cliff at the beginning, middle, and end of the race. 2012 had so many more snack options to choose from.
If you want to experience the LATE ride, I suggest you make a donation directly to Friends of the Park, skip the registration fee, and line up with the masses.
So disappointed this year!

It’s my understanding that the event as it was, for its first 24 years, was run by one woman and her dedicated army of volunteers and trusted associated subcontracted partner companies. Not so for its last iteration (and therefore I don’t know what’s to become of the future of the event). I dreaded seeing a great activity with a consistent and unique reputation go down the tubes, but better a lot of good memories than to trash it until it’s no longer a good time. I’ll try to post an update if I learn anything further, but I did hear that the 2013 version was by far its worst, slowest, least organized, least liked, worst managed. No coincidence that its founder and organizer was not part of the event.

What an awesome event! If only the whole course could have been closed and the start time was an hour sooner. If you want to get in on the first wave released into the streets you have to pay a hefty amount. Not really fair for us broke folks!
I did really appreciate the traffic guards guiding the way at some of the big intersection. What an awesome sacrifice to make in the wee hours of the morning.
They need to find a way to get light into the porto-​potties!

This event has me officially asking all my friends ((almost nightly)) to go bike riding with every chance I can ask!
Let’s start with the PROS:
The City closes various streets. ((Riding next to cars is a challenge in itself))
Snacks & drinks are free. ((I was def hungry at the half-​point))
It’s not a race! ((You’re able to enjoy the sights at a leisurely pace))
The people you meet, are awesome! ((Thanks for all the laughs guys!))
Seeing the sunrise along the lake!
& some CONS:
Registration fee. ((Register early!!! Don’t register last minute))
The first few miles are congested. ((Stop go, stop go))
You see lots of drunkies! ((People are nuts! Don’t high 5!))
You’re wired the rest of the day! ((Started my day off just right!))
But seriously guys… With music, snacks, contests for best lights/​best helmet, and volunteers ready to check your bike juuuust in case your tires need air or breaks need adjusting… This by far, is the best way to soak up all the different neighborhoods around the city and see the sunrise along the lake.

Very horribly organized this year. For the $ 30 we paid on YouSwoop for registration ($ 45 w/​out YouSwoop), I was hoping there would at least be some sort of snacks at the halfway point or prior to the start of the race. The year when McDonald’s sponsored the event, there were a ton of goodies given out! All they handed out was vitamin water at Buckingham and natural soda at the halfway point (they ran out of water). My husband and I will NEVER do this event again if it was as horribly organized in future years. Bring back McDonald’s!

After several years of saying I wanted to do the L.A.T.E. Ride, we finally bit the bullet and got out there. It’s a very interesting experience, which I’m sure you can gather from the other reviews, and I had a good time biking down the lakefront path as the sun rose. Here’s a few things I’m not seeing anyone else mention though:
It’s expensive. I was able to YouSwoop for two registration fees, and it still cost $ 60. Standard price is $ 45 per person. For that, you get a t-​shirt, bottled water and banana at the rest stop (halfway through the ride) and some obviously donated «breakfast» snacks at the end of the ride, which for us included chewing gum, yogurt, an oat shake, juice, and cookies. Ah, the Breakfast of Champions! Basically, you have to consider your registration as a charitable donation to the parks that you can’t claim on your taxes.
You’ll be assigned a start group based on when you pick-​up your registration packet. There are packet pick-​ups located in the Chicagoland area on several dates prior to the race, and you would do well to pick-​up yours early. Picking up your registration packet (which includes coupons, fliers and brochures for local events and places, and your event t-​shirt) before the race also means you don’t have to carry it around during the race.
Check your tires before you ride. I can’t tell you how many people were sidelined because of bad tires.
Expect lots of bottlenecks. The police close several miles of road to traffic at the start of the race, but obviously can’t close 25 miles of city streets. You will be battling against cars, buses, trolleys, drunk people and most importantly, other bikers, for the road. It was so hilarious watching all these participants gun it at the start of the race, only to catch up to them at an intersection four miles later. It is a leisure ride, and it will take you several hours, even if you’re a professional bicyclist.
And I really shouldn’t have to say this, but a helmet is required. Which means you should wear it. So many people took theirs off because they were hot or didn’t like wearing it (one of whom was sent home in an ambulance not quite halfway through the ride).
I think the L.A.T.E. Ride is a really fun Chicago event, and one I would definitely recommend to others as a one-​time, gotta try this kind of thing.

Are you new to Chicago and like biking? This is absolutely the best way to see the city! You ride through many different neighborhoods, you get to see things you might not normally go past, and everyone is really friendly!
You do not need to be a fast rider (in fact, it’s hard to go fast through most of the ride). There are all kinds of people doing the ride: old people, kids, overweight people, as well as young and in shape people. As long as you enjoy biking, you will fit in!
Most people’s favorite part is watching the sunrise at the end of the ride. People are either at Grant part having breakfast or snacks, or biking along the bike path along the lake. Either way, you have a great view of the sunrise!
Everyone who bikes at all in the Chicagoland area should do this ride!

Want to see Chicago as you’ve probably never seen it before, at night on a bike, come to this ride. 25 miles. Rest area to refresh and hang out ½ in.
See the sunrise from the lakefront, while riding or just taking in the view.
Recommend the optional breakfast.

Last Friday I volunteered with one of my favorite organizations, Friends of the Park, as they kicked-​off the final stretch of preparation for THE. BEST. event a Chicago summer has to offer — the L.A.T.E. ride!
The L.A.T.E ride is an awesome 25 mile bike ride around the city catering to all fitness levels and appealing to an eclectic mix of personalities all navigating their way through several great Chicago neighborhoods. Beginning and ending at Buckingham fountain, the ride will take you through Chinatown, Greek Town, Humboldt Park, and Uptown before navigating you back down the lakefront. Depending on your pace, You may even get to see the sunset while you bike past Navy Pier or while eating breakfast back at the fountain with the hundreds of new friends you’ll meet along the way.
This event DEFINITELY deserves its 5 star rating and is something every Chicagoan should take part in at least once!

So take several thousand of your Chicago neighbors, add some bikes and let the magic begin. I was coaxed by a former co-​worker of mine to join this event and have participated for the last two years now.
The LATE ride is just that, a ride, not a race. The pace of which everyone bikes is on the slower side, so Lance Armstrong wannabees should stay home, as the route is often congested in parts, most especially towards the starting line.
There are plenty of course officials out at night to direct you, plus medical personnel on standby for crashes and exhaustion victims. You’ll see plenty of Chicago’s police force out directing traffic at the busier intersections, as sometimes you will have to yield right-​of-​way to the cars.
The event itself is very relaxed, as nobody is really speeding to get to the finish line. You’ll see all flavors of people, from those toting boom boxes over one shoulder to people with funky helmet designs, people with dogs in baskets, parents toting their kids in bike trailers, older men totting beer kegs in kids trailers (true story!) and so on.
Everyone is out and having a great time right around when Chicago’s weather is about as nice as it is going to get. The only reason why I didn’t give the LATE ride five stars is because they should not direct the course through Division Bar Row. I like the high fives, but have stopped giving them because one of our riders was taken out by an angry drunk. As another reviewer suggested, we should run the course through the Loop.
Also, one other very real danger are the potholes that Chicago is famous for. Some spray paint here would be most welcome. Even with the setbacks above, the LATE ride is very enjoyable and the view of the skyline from the lake front at dawn is second to none. Everyone’s a little bit tired from the ride, but grabbing an early morning waffle never tasted this good with such a view.

Up one star from last year, because they pushed the start time back.
Lacking the other two stars, because parts of the route aren’t exactly safe at 2am: the Wicker Park Division Street bar row and Humboldt Park. There is obviously safety in numbers, but still seems like a bad idea.
Kudos on getting bottles of Ice Mountain (ie: unflavored) water for the rest stop!
Maybe next year the planners could bike the route ahead of time, spray painting potholes in the road so as to avoid multiple people crashing (like the one by the Montrose Brown Line, which we saw three people crash on — one flying over her handlebars).

25mi bike ride in the middle of the night (started at 1am) was pretty cool. It doesn’t quite match up to a marathon but it was pretty cool having people, usually drunk, cheering you on. One thing I didn’t like though was that there were many intersections where we actually had to stop. I thought we should have had right of way the entire trip. Also, we didn’t stop by the break area at Horner Park (halfway mark).
But if you get a good group together and just take your time and enjoy the ride, you should be coming back down Lake Shore just in time to catch the sunrise. Then you can grab some breakfast.

Bicycle: $ 400
L.A.T.E. night fee: $ 45
Parking at Millenium Garage: $ 25
Drunk people from bars giving us high fives in the street at 3am… Priceless

For a first timer this was a lot of fun. Not sure I’d do it again though as I recall feeling a little ‘lucky’ to have made it home without any incidents. With such a wide variety of experience levels and equipment between riders you had to constantly watch (a) people doing dumb stuff and (b) road conditions and any other potential hazards.
Also going north along Halsted during peak clubbing hours was not a great idea, I saw two accidents right along Greek-​town and hours of people and cars trying to get through (unsuccessfully). With alcohol abound and tempers flaring it seemed like a recipe for disaster to run through that section of town. Why not ride through the Loop which is vacant at those hours?
The weather was perfect though as it was just warm enough that you stayed cool on the bike at speed. The route was mostly flat land and there was a banana and flavored-​water break setup roughly half-​way through the route (hint: bring granola bars). The home stretch along the lakefront path was a bit crazy, with a few nutjobs trying to peddle north along the path (why?) in a vane effort to prove that it was still a public trail. (Hey Lance Armstrong, try a surface street alternate path for the one night instead of risking countless injuries.)
Either way it was not as difficult a ride as I previously thought considering I was in no shape (hadn’t touched bike in months) to peddle 25 miles. Although tired when we got back to Grant Park I still felt I could have ridden another 10 miles or so if needed.
Will maybe do it again next year if the route changes (for the better).

I’ve been doing this ride for years, although it has been years since I’ve done it. Seeing as how this is my first summer back in Chicago after having lived in California for the better part of the last decade, I jumped at the chance to pick this up again.
A few gripes though, the first of which probably doesn’t have as much to do with the LATE Ride organization as it does with the people at Goose Island who sponsor the portion I am about to rant on. I made the mistake of paying $ 7 for the «all you can eat pancake breakfast.» Sure, it was all you can eat, but I wouldn’t really call it a pancake «breakfast» if all you are serving is pancakes. Call it like it is, tell us it is all you can eat pancakes… because that’s all they had. I’m not expecting bacon and sausage (although that would have been cool), but they didn’t even have anything to drink? Really? For 7 bucks your just going to slap $.25 worth of batter on the griddle and not offer us even a glass of water? Needless to say I was very disenchanted with the pancake «breakfast.»
The next gripe is this. If the city can close down 26 miles of city roads for a marathon on a Sunday morning, why can’t they close down ²⁄₃ of that (because the last 6 or 7 miles are on the lakefront path) on a really early Sunday morning? Sure they had cops stationed at some of the larger intersections, but for a good portion of the ride there were 8,000 cyclists sharing the road with increasingly frustrated motorists.
I’ll do the ride as long as I can, but they need to change a few things.

This was my first year and I liked it, a lot.
I did have to stop at a small handful of red lights and it got alittle crowded on narrower streets at times, but overall a great experience.
We were in the second wave of riders and started about 12:30AM. Got to ride through all kinds of great neighborhoods and the Boulevards, which was cool. Headed north up California to Montrose. The most crowded areas for me were Bucktown and Greek Town — simply because of bar activity, but everyone was really cool and cheered us on. We had a few haters, mostly drivers pissed off with the hold up or getting engulfed in cyclists when they grew brass balls and tried to turn into our steady stream of riders. Funny to me. They literally could NOT escape us.
My only gripes are that I would’ve have loved to have some ice cold water at the rest stop and at the end of the ride. They had all these fizzy fruity waters and drinks which I was not a fan of at all and my water bottles were warm by then :(. I also would’ve have loved to ride up the lakefront path at sunrise. The ride started earlier this year and that part was missed. Maybe they’ll change it back, depending what kind of feedback they get on the surveys.
Can’t wait til next year.
OH and the great Mayor should have let us enjoy the fountain. It was not running at the time.

This was my first year attending, and the event was disappointing for several reasons:
1.) We had to sit around for almost an hour after the event began before our color/​wave could start.
2.) It was very, very crowded, which makes for unpleasant cycling conditions.
3.) The streets were not closed off. There were too many red lights and potholes. I actually saw one of the cyclists got hit by a car.
4.) There was only one place along the 30 mile/​4 hour route to take a bathroom break!
5.) The rest stop/​park ran out of food before I got there. The park was way too crowded and because of the lack of lighting, it was very difficult to walk my bike around.
6.) The lakefront path is too narrow.
7.) After the event, there was an incredibly long line to get refreshments, so I just left.
The people who organized this event could learn a lot from the people who organize Bike The Drive.

Don’t you hate it when you’re driving on a local road and you seem to hit every single red stop light? Frustrating, right?
Now imagine that for 12 miles. On a bike. With thousands of other bikers.
That was my experience with this year’s late nite bike ride.
Very frustrating, not fun at all. I went two years ago and it was a great time. This event seemed sloppy and horribly planned. The new route was awful. I saw at least 5 people hurt (lots of stopping and going) and one horrible head on collision on the lake front path when a biker ran into someone who was going the opposite way to go home.
They started earlier this year, so we didn’t even get to end the event eating breakfast and watching the sun rise. I was thoroughly disappointed.
The one star was because it was for a good cause and some of the volunteers and CPD were nice and helpful. A few of the volunteers were rude though.
And btw– the drink they gave us during the mid-​ride break? Tasted like someone spit out their mint gum into my water with lemon. Gross.

It’s rare that anything will get me out of the house at 11pm, but this was totally worth it.
I had been wanting to do the LATE Ride for more years that I can count, but something always got in the way. This year I signed up early, determined to make it work. Personally, I think this a ride everyone should try at least once — it was a blast.
The ride, benefiting Friends of the Parks, takes you through various Chicago neighborhoods in the moonlight; ultimately starting and ending at Buckingham Fountain. What I loved is that it’s fun ride, not a race. You’ll see people and bikes of all shapes and sizes, some people go all out to decorate their bikes and helmets too. I especially enjoyed those who brought some tunes, they and the people cheering along the route helped me forget how sleepy I was. They have a pancake breakfast at the end, but at 3:30 am all I wanted was the comfort of my bed.
Despite really enjoying the ride, I think there are a few things that could have been improved:
1) The website and overall communication. The website never posted the ride’s route and left a lot of vague details about registration, packet pickup, rest stops, etc.
2) The lake path leg of the route was horrible and in my opinion dangerous. The lake path is too narrow, dark (pitch black), and sometimes treacherous to have 10,000 people riding down it. In one particularly bad spot the guy in front of me wiped out and I came inches from crashing into him. Anyone going against the pack was seriously endangered, no one was yielding or watching for oncoming riders.
3) Some of the surface street choices seemed very poor. There were long sections of bottlenecks, etc. and cars occasionally in the middle of the route because they turned onto it.
Bottom line: 3.5 stars. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun. I’d definitely consider doing it again in the future.
TIP: If you’re thinking of doing this as a first-​timer do two things in preparation of this ride: (1) get your bike tuned up, there were lots of breakdowns — not all were fortunate enough to be near a repair station, and (2) get some headlights, it’s dark and it will help avoid collisions (you should have them if you plan to do any biking after dusk anyway).