Welcome
Greetings y’all,
I think you probably know the drill by now. It's officially summer, and we officially are rocking so many fun and inclusive bike adventures! We’ve had 9 different events in the past month, one of which was the epic, 80 person Battle to the Dunes ride. Our Family Overnights have kicked off, and we already have gotten more than 100 kids with disabilities out on bike rides this year in our Adaptive Program. Tons of big announcements and updates in this newsletter including a new website, a big ol’ grant we won, and a new trailer for our bikes.
Big Announcements
This month some major things that have been in the works for months and months have come to fruition.
New Website
Our new website has launched! Thanks to the incredible, persistent professional Claire Keating and her Studio True business. Claire has ridden with OOFD and believes in what we do so she gave us a sweet deal to completely rebuild our website. And dang does it look beautiful. We loved our old site, but this new one is next level.
Big Grant
We won a $35,000 grant from Thrive Outside and The Nature Conservancy! This is one of the biggest grants we’ve ever won. The funds will pay for two Adaptive Bike Camping trips, one Youth Bike Camping trip, and 10 spots for BIPOC riders with financial restrictions to join our rides this year for free. Funds will also go to help us grow our capacity. So we will be able to buy our first ever CRM to help us track our data better. Some grant funds will go to covering some of Glenn’s ED salary as well as two temporary positions in the org to help with capacity building especially in regards to implementing our new CRM.
Our New Trailer
We got a trailer! Now we have our very own 20’ trailer where we can store our Adaptive Bikes. Thank you Cosmic Bikes and Bikes N Roses for allowing us to store our bikes with you all as well as Adaptive Program Directors, Bradley and Miles, for filling up their garages and basements with the bikes over the past few years. And huge thanks to The Forest Preserves of Cook County for putting in the work to allow us to park the trailer at one of their sites. The site is perfectly located near some excellent bike trails which will help us cut down on the logistics of always needing to rent a truck for all of our adaptive events.
Upcoming Events OOFD Events
Ok. It is the end of June and the OOFD calendar of adventures continues to grow with about 10 coming up in the next month. We welcome you to join us!
Train O' Lakes: Adult Overnight to Chain O' Lakes
June 28 -29
This rad crew of about 25 folks is rolling tomorrow to ride nearly 100 miles up the Western side of our original North Loop Ride and then will be taking the Metra back home the next day.
Camp Dan Beard: Family Overnight
June 28-29
Our first bike camping trip in many years to this often overlooked Cook County site. We’ll have over 20 folks including a rider with a disability and their family along on this unique one night family overnight from Park Ridge to Northbrook and back.
Monthly Hang - McKinley Park
Tuesday, July 2
Come on out and meet/hang with some of the OOFD crew. Ask questions, discuss upcoming adventures, figure out ways to get involved, and just catch our vibe as the OOFD volunteers welcome you in. Bring your own beverage or snack. Deets and registration here.
SWMI - Southwest Michigan
July 10-14
Summertime on bikes at the lake. Camping with amazing adventurous folks all along that shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago to South Haven. 5 days worth of pure bike adventure fun. Not to be missed. 15 folks are signed up. There are only about 10 spots left. Kids 14+ are welcome on this one with a parent/guardian. We already have one dad/daughter duo signed up:) More deets and registration here.
Camp Shabonna Family
July 18-20
This is a classic OOFD route that runs the lakefront and eventually into the lovely Hammond, IN trail system and then into the forest preserves system down near South Holland, IL. A gem of a ride, and the campground has a waterpark across the street for some fun on the off day. This one sold out! Details about what yer missing here.
Sandy Shores - Illinois Beach State Park
July 19-20
Another classic Chicago bike camping weekend, skirting the lake up to our gem of a state park. This one too has sold out all 25 spots. Details about what yer missing here.
Where the Wild Things Grow - The Wild Mile
July 23 Wednesday (5-7pm)
This is a super unique service ride for us as we get to help do some restoration work at the famously beautiful Wild Mile which is on the Chicago River just behind the Lincoln Park REI. Join us for this chill ride from downtown to do 2 hours of service. Deets and sign-up here.
Adaptive Overnight - Sullivan
July 26-27
Our third annual adaptive overnight with KEEN Chicago. We will have 7 families, all with a young person with a disability, come out to ride bikes, roast marshmallows, campout, and generally have a blast together. Goodness are we so lucky to have KEEN Chicago as a partner. They are the real deal.
Family Bike Camping in the City - Gompers and Emily Oaks
August 1-3
A super fun and hyper local bike camping adventure. Our good friends at the Chicago Park District are partnering with us for the first night campout in Gompers Park on the Northside. Then, we have a full day of adventures, including a stop for ice cream, en route to camp with our friends at Emily Oaks Nature Center in Skokie. There are only 5 of the 32 spots left for this one. Deets and sign-up here.
Flock off the Block - Camp Sullivan
August 9-10
Ok. We have the details! The start points, the live band, the food, the partners. Now we just need you! Don’t miss this bike camping party. We’ll have a start point on the Northside, Westside, Central, and Southside, all heading to Camp Sullivan. Family friendly. Cabins available as well as camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, pads) available too. We’ll even haul your gear to camp if you start on the Southside. These tickets are going to go fast. Expect around 100 folks all flocking together from different parts of the city for our biggest bike camping event of the year. Deets and sign-up here.
Ride to Valhalla - Door County
September 12-15
4 days, 3 nights of riding around Door County. 2 of those nights are spent camping on an island in Lake Michigan, Washington Island. There’s a good chance we’ll be resting this ride after this season so it might be your last chance to ride it with us for some years. More deets and registration here.
Volunteer Gratitude: Daniel Scherer-Emunds
Daniel came out to the Monthly Hang in February at Monochrome Brewery and was like, “I want to hear more about this Adaptive Program y’all have rolling.” And ever since, he has been getting more and more involved. He made it to the Volunteer training just hours after returning from riding his bike across Ohio. He piloted adaptive bikes at the KEEN Any K event, held down the swag table at the Hootenanny, and generally has been an enthusiastic addition to the crew. His adventure spirit is next level, matched only by his sincere desire to help folks with disabilities have adventures.
In his own words, “Daniel (he/him) was born and raised in the near west suburb of Oak Park, IL and currently lives in Bridgeport. His German father, whose name (Meinrad) literally translates to “my bike,” instilled a love for cycling at a young age. Daniel grew up riding the beautiful local Salt Creek, Fox River, Cal-Sag, and Prairie Path trails with his parents and brother. He has also been fortunate enough to live and bike in: Bloomington, Indiana; Asheville, North Carolina; Cape Town, South Africa; Dehradun, India; and Moshi, Tanzania. He is passionate about disability justice and currently works as a Special Education teacher in Oak Park. He was drawn to the OOFD community in early 2025 by their commitment to radically inclusive adventure and a personal desire to deepen his relationship with and reverence for local nature and history. In his free time, you can catch him riding the southside lakefront trail, enjoying our world-class local music and food scenes, and proclaiming that Chicago is America’s greatest city.”
Events We Did in the Last Month or So
Tabling at REI - May 26
Oh yeah! Daniel Scherer-Emunds did this tabling event at REI as well, on Memorial Day weekend. Got to chat up a bunch of folks about our upcoming events.
Adaptive Day Ride with KEEN Chicago - May 31
This is becoming an annual tradition to do an Adaptive Day Ride with our biggest and best Adaptive Program partner, KEEN Chicago. We rode our adaptive bikes with some families from the KEEN Chicago community on the North Branch Trail.
Monthly Hang at Meditation Point (Edgewater) with Bonfire - Tuesday, June 3
One of the best hangs of the year! A bonfire on the lake. Just south of Foster Beach. A bunch of folks from Mappy Hour came out, and so we had nearly 50 folks out at this event. Such a blast.
Battle to the Dunes - Indiana Dunes National Park - June 7-8
Whoa. Just whoa. This freaking ride. Blew my dern mind. We had 66 participants and 14 guides out on this epic ride. The vibes were just something else, mostly thanks to an outstanding crew of guides led by the unreal lead guide performance of Olin Postlethwait. Huge thanks to everyone that rode this one.
North Side Learning Center Day Ride - June 9th
Another great partnership for our Adaptive Program. Our crew of volunteers came out to their field day and rode our adaptive bikes around Peterson Park with 31 different young people with disabilities.
DuSable Museum - Adult Day Ride - June 14th
A crew of about 10 folks rode out from 31st Street Beach, ie Margaret T. Burroughs Beach, and rode to the DuSable Black History Museum for an early celebration of Juneteenth. They had a special guide lead them through the museum, and they wrapped up with a dip in the lake back at 31st Street.
Camp Sullivan - June 20-22
The first family overnight of the year. We had two families and 4 guides brave the steamy temps and ride out to Camp Sullivan from the Brainerd neighborhood. They found their way to a waterpark in Tinley to cool off on their rest day. Family bike camping 2025 has begun at OOFD!
Dovetail Bike Social and Radler Party - June 21
This was the second annual, and we got to set up a table along with a bunch of other bike related orgs and vendors to talk up our rides and mission while enjoying some cold radler beers in the hot hot heat.
The Gratitude Ride for Essential Workers - Shabonna - June 21-22
Our annual ride that we run for free for essential workers to appreciate them for the work they did for us during Covid and up to this day. This crew braved that steamy weekend as well and rode out to Camp Shabonna where they had access to free tents, sleeping bags, and pads thanks to the CLIC program run by the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
Where the Wild Things Grow: Lake Michigan Service - 63rd Street Beach - June 21
Yep. That incredibly hot weekend we had. Remember that one? We had not one, not two, not three, but four events going, all at the same time. This rad crew rode out from Pilsen to do a beach clean up which was put on by the Shedd Aquarium Action Days. Major props to everyone that showed up for that event and all 4 events that we had last weekend.
Chicago Mobility Collaborative at DePaul hosted by CDOT - June 26
We had the honor of tabling at this very cool quarterly event that brings together a wide variety of voices for an evening of networking and conversation around mobility in our city. Met so many great folks including the Deloris Lucas of We Keep You Rolling, which was my first time meeting her in person after numerous emails and messages.
Other Awesome Bike Events Upcoming
If you are looking for a ride to do in Chicago, you got to check out this list of group rides that Half Acre Cycling put together. Goodness are there are so many chances to ride your bike with cool people, all over Chicago, every day of the week!
Southside Critical Mass
July 4
1st Fridays at 5:45pm and ride at 6:15ish. From Nichols Park (south end, 55th & Kimbark) 1300 E. 55th St, Chicago.
Adaptive Adventures: Access Adventure Cycling with DIVVY - Illinois
July 9
A ride with access to adaptive bikes as well as DIVVY bikes at the North Shore Channel Trail - Argyle St Divvy Station at River Park. Adaptive Adventures has all kinds of awesome events for folks with disabilities. Check out their calendar here.
Fly the Co-Op: A Tour of Chicago's Community Bike Shops
July 13
Join this super cool ride that starts at The Recyclery and ends with a party at Blackstone Bike Works with stops at Bikes N Roses, West Town Bikes, and Working Bikes in between. Its the day after the Naked Bike Ride. See flyer above for details.
Skokie Bike Network’s Tails from the Trails at Sketchbook Brewery
July 13th
This is a bike storytelling event at our beloved partner and beer sponsor Sketchbook Brewery. We love stories and beer and bikes so this is so up our alley. So consider riding out to this lovely, family friendly event at this great brewery. More deets here.
We Keep You Rolling - 10 Year Anniversary
July 26
Full day of activities from 9am to 10pm including various bike rides, a wellness pop up and community resource fair and so much more. All going down at Golden Gate Park, 13000 S. Eberhart. Sign in/register at 13134 S. Vernon Ave.
Dog Days Ride
Saturday, August 2
A leisure bike tour of Chicago's finest hot dog stands. This ride is not meant to be challenging, but a perfect way to enjoy the summer in Chicago, meet new people, and broaden your horizons by exploring a variety of encased meats in a bun. Deets and sign-up here.
Garner and Tow
Not an event but a shout-out that we couldn’t help but do. Long time OOFD volunteer and supporter, Sara Thornton, has started a super cool bike bag company. The bags are incredibly legit. Check them out here.
Getting to West Beach on the Dunes Ride
Alrighty. Dang. These newsletters. Always a beast but can’t help but share all the big news and events with y’all. We are in a moment of thriving as an org and that is worth celebrating. And we are only here because of the awe-inspiring work and creativity and welcoming spirit of our volunteers and broader community of riders and partners. So much positive momentum. So much gratitude.
Just started rereading Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac. And from the first few pages, I remember why this book always almost knocks me out of my seat.
“That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. That land yields a cultural harvest is a fact long known, but latterly often forgotten.”
Here’s to us not forgetting that, and doing our small part to remind ourselves that “land is a community” and that it “yields a cultural harvest”.
Thanks as always for reading these novel length newsletters.
Much love,
Glenn and the whole OOFD crew
