6,000 cyclists coming to campus for bicycle tour

The event is run by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, a not-for-profit bicycle-transportation advocacy organization.

Riders will begin the Boulevard Lakefront Bicycle Tour between 7:30 and 9 a.m. on the Midway. The tour will then wind west on Garfield Boulevard through Washington and Sherman parks; north through McKinley, Douglas, Garfield and Humboldt parks; east through Logan Square; then south past Washington Square Park, through the Loop and along Lake Michigan. The tour will conclude at approximately 1 p.m. on the Midway, where festivities will include Brunch in the Park, music by 93XRT Radio Chicago and the Boulevard Lakefront Tour Bike Expo featuring exhibits by tour sponsors, local bike retailers, equipment manufacturers and social and environmental organizations.

The route will include rest stops in McKinley and Humboldt parks and at the oldest remaining residential building in Chicago, the Clarke House on the Prairie Avenue House Museums campus. Food, beverages, bike repair, medical stations and restroom facilities will be available at every rest stop and at the start and finish of the tour.

More than 300 event volunteers will provide on-site repairs and emergency pickup wagons along a well-marked route patrolled by safety marshals. Medical services will be provided by the University of Chicago Hospitals, and riders will receive a route map with architectural and historical facts compiled with assistance from the Chicago Park District and the Prairie Avenue House Museums. Other sponsors of the tour include the University Chicago Velo Club.

The registration fee is $20, which includes Brunch in the Park after the tour. Cyclists can register in the starting area from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. on the day of the tour. To register in advance, call the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation at 42-PEDAL.

All proceeds from the tour support the work of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, which is dedicated to the improvement of the bicycling environment in the greater Chicago region. The federation has helped secure more than $75 million in infrastructure improvements for bicycle transportation, including a 300-mile network of bikeways in Chicago, new bike lanes on major downtown streets and the installation of more than 2,500 bike racks and lockers.