Winter Bike to Work Day returns Jan. 18

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 alongside city hall and the Picasso sculpture. This year the location offers a special attraction—the newly-unveiled Dearborn Street protected bike lane runs on the east side of the plaza. If you have not yet biked on the Loop’s first protected bike lane (which includes the first bike-specific traffic lights in the region), Winter Bike to Work Day provides the perfect opportunity to try it out!

Rally attendees will receive free fleece balaclavas courtesy of The Chainlink and Bike Winter. There will 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 MB Financial Bank 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.