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Greetings
Hello {{First Name}},
This issue of Tailwinds is full of relevant updates, information, and events. The progress Ride Illinois is making toward safer streets, stronger bike education, and more bike-friendly communities in Illinois happens because of the people who believe in this work and stand behind it.
This month, we’re pleased to share our FY2025 Annual Report and provide a glimpse at the impact we’ve made together over this past year. The FY2025 Annual Report highlights the advocacy, education, and awareness efforts that are making an impact across the state. Take a few minutes to explore the report and learn about Ride Illinois' impact.
Contributions in any amount from generous individuals and businesses make Ride Illinois' work possible. We humbly request your support of Ride Illinois and our mission to make Illinois better though biking. Click the button below to join or donate. Thank you!
Ride Illinois recently earned a 2026 Three-Star rating from Charity Navigator! Know that you can support us with confidence 👏👏👏
Ride Illinois is proud of our accomplishments and transparency with the public and our members. We maintain our Charity Navigator profile to summarize the impact that contributions help us achieve.
The spring legislative session is in full swing in Springfield – though we anticipate most activity on legislation will take place after the primary election on March 17. With assistance from our lobbyist, Ride Illinois is at the table for key conversations regarding our legislative priorities.
👉 Stay tuned to Ride Illinois email and social media for relevant updates, requests to submit witness slips, and to send action alerts!
Advocating for Funding for Biking, Walking, and Trails
Ride Illinois will be joining advocates from Illinois and across the country at the 2026 National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. from March 24-26. During Lobby Day, we'll meet with members of Congress to advocate for funding for trails, walking and bicycling across transportation programs in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization. Other topics we'll be advocating for include automatic emergency braking (AEB) in new vehicles and flexible options to use transportation funding to increase safety for vulnerable road users, including bicyclists.
Education & Safety
Developing Safe Bike, Walk, Micromobility Curriculum
Ride Illinois will participate in a working group that will develop curriculum for use in Illinois schools as soon as the 2026-2027 school year. This initiative was announced during the recent Illinois Secretary of State press conference at which Ride Illinois spoke. The proposed curriculum and ancillary materials will focus on safe biking, walking, and micromobility use. More to come on this exciting opportunity for generational change in how Illinoisans navigate their communities!
Updates: LCI Seminars and LCA Workshop in Illinois
Planning is underway to offer some exciting opportunities to enhance your skills in the coming year:
The dates for a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Seminarin Evanston in June will be announced soon! We'll follow up with those who have expressed interest to get candidates registered.
Discussions are also underway for an LCI Seminar in Carbondale this fall. Offering a seminar in southern Illinois will lead to better geographic distribution of LCIs in Illinois!
A League Cycling Advocate Workshop will take place on September 17 in Chicago. Registration will open soon! The LCA Workshop will cover essential topics – such as the history of bike advocacy, how to get organized, and effective political engagement.
If earning LCI or LCA certification is of interest, send an email to info@rideillinois.org to add your name to the list of interested individuals. We'll follow up as details for these sessions are ironed out.
Environment & Awareness
Legislative Scorecard
While deciding for whom to vote in the Illinois primary election, be sure to check out Ride Illinois' Legislative Scorecard! This handy resource offers a summary of the 2025 legislative session and recaps some of the most important bike-related legislation from 2021 to 2024.
Get to Know: McLean County Wheelers
The McLean County Wheelers formed in 1981 as a not-for-profit group of cycling enthusiasts from McLean County and the surrounding area. Membership is open to all types of cyclists – they offer leisurely to advanced paced rides, social events, and a commitment to cycling education and safe riding. Their annual Spring Metric ride supports club activities, as well as state and regional bicycle advocacy organizations.
Infrastructure
Project Spotlight: Lincoln Prairie Trail Bridge
The Lincoln Prairie Trail bridge over Flat Branch, a branch of the Sangamon River’s South Fork, was completed in May 2025. The new bridge closes a gap on the Lincoln Prairie Trail and reconnects Taylorville and Pana. Kudos to the Lincoln Prairie Trail Conservancy for spearheading this important project! Photo credit: William Roseberry.
Contraflow Bike Lanes
Contraflow bike lanes allow bicyclists to travel against the flow of motor vehicles. This treatment is commonly applied to one-way streets. Including signs and signals at intersections alert drivers and pedestrians to be aware that bicyclists will be traveling in the opposite direction of traffic. While contraflow lanes may seem counter-intuitive, they are effective when options for bike lanes on neighborhood streets are limited.
Community
Bike There...and Tell Us About it!
The IRS standard mileage reimbursement rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile. In terms of biking for utilitarian purposes, that means you'll save (or earn) $7.25 for each 10-mile trip. This makes cents and sense!
The I Can Bike There campaign aims to educate the public and encourage them to use their bikes for everyday trips and explore new routes, while celebrating those who already use their bicycle as a practical, sustainable mode of transportation.
👉 Learn more, get inspired, and share your story at icanbikethere.org.
Book Recommendation: Bicycle City
In Bicycle City: Riding the Bike Boom to a Brighter Future, Daniel Piatkowski argues that the bicycle is the best tool that we have to improve our cities. The car-free urban future—where cities are vibrant, with access to everything we need close by—may be less bike-centric than we think. Bikes are a crucial first step to getting Americans out of cars. Bicycle City is about making cities better with bikes rather than for bikes.
💡What bike-related books or podcasts do you recommend? From epic adventures to practical advice, to the benefits of biking, there are plenty of options! Send your suggestions to info@rideIllinois.org.
Generosity
Affiliated Clubs & Community Organizations
This month Ride Illinois is very fortunate to receive donations from supportive bike clubs around the state. We’re extending warm appreciation to the Wheeling Wheelmen for their generous support of Ride Illinois’ mission.
👉 Click here to learn about generous clubs and community orgs.
Corporate Members
Ride Illinois is grateful for the continued support of our Corporate Members, whose commitment moves our mission forward. Their partnership and involvement demonstrates the important role businesses can play in making Illinois better through biking.
If your company or employer supports creating better places to bike and walk in your community and statewide, we invite them to become a Corporate Member! It’s a meaningful way for businesses to support statewide advocacy while aligning with a mission that promotes healthier, happier, safer, and more connected communities.
Get funding to launch Project Sidewalk in your community: Disability organizations, Active Transportation organizations, and others apply for this RWJF grant to receive $50,000 to collect, analyze, and use data. What better time to launch Project Sidewalk in your community and use the data to support more accessible communities! The Project Sidewalk team would be happy to provide no-cost support to your community, provide training, and technical support. Application deadline is March 3 2026.
Bike Safety Quiz Mini-Grants
Illinois schools can receive $2 per student (up to $2,000 per school per grant year) for completing one of Ride Illinois' quizzes. The funding covers school staff time to assign Ride Illinois' free, online quiz as a 15-30 minute assignment. Reimbursement is based on the number of students who complete a quiz in the 2025-2026 school year.
Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD)
The FY2026 Grant Cycle offers four unique funding opportunities for qualifying applicants in Madison and St. Clair Counties, IL. Each grant opportunity is listed below by program name and status. Eligible applicants can receive up to one MEPRD award per grant program, per fiscal year. Application deadline is May 29, 2026.
Events Calendar
🗓 Ride Illinois is pleased to promote the rides and event offered by affiliated bike clubs and community organizations, plus other impactful organizations.
Below are some rides and events we think you'll appreciate:
Ride Illinois was recently a vendor at the Chicago Winter Bike Swap (L) and attended CABDA Midwest to learn about new bikes and accessories that are headed to market (R).
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