Released: Sunday, May 24, 2009
Contact: Margo O’Hara, Director of Communications Active Transportation Alliance
312.282.5088 mobile
312.427.3325 x224
margo@activetrans.org

Bicyclists – parents pulling young kids in bike trailers, pro racers, couples on tandems and friends on road bikes – outnumbered cars 20,000 to zero on Lake Shore Drive for the eighth annual Bike the Drive today.

The event attracted bicyclists of all types and from across the country to enjoy the unparalleled views of the city and the novelty of biking on a car-free, world-famous Lake Shore Drive.

“It’s awe-inspiring. Lake Shore Drive, which is usually a noisy highway packed with cars, became a peaceful oasis with family and friends biking, relaxing and having fun,” said Rob Sadowsky, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, which organizes the event.

Lake Shore Drive opened to bicyclists at 5:30 a.m. From downtown Chicago, participants had eight lanes and 15 miles of open highway to bike as much as they liked north to Bryn Mawr or south to the Museum of Science and Industry.

After the event, bikers gathered in Grant Park to lounge, eat pancakes from Goose Island, listen to music, check out sponsor booths and win give-aways. Chicago’s Funkadesi entertained festival-goers with their vibrant world beats.

Bike the Drive benefits the nonprofit Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation), which advocates for better biking, walking and transit in Chicagoland.

The event also kicks off Chicago’s season of bicycling. “It’s the perfect start to the summer biking season – not just for the sheer scale of the event, but also because it benefits work to create lasting improvements in our region’s transportation,” Sadowsky said.

The Active Transportation Alliance is grateful to Bank of America for their support of Bike the Drive.

ABOUT BANK OF AMERICA
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 55 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 6,100 retail banking offices, more than 18,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 30 million active users. Bank of America is among the world’s leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to more than 4 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. www.bankofamerica.com

ABOUT ACTIVE TRANS
The Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit, member-based advocacy organization that works to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. The organization builds a movement around active transportation, encourages physical activity, increases safety and builds a world-class transportation network. Formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, the Active Transportation Alliance is North America’s largest transportation advocacy organization, supported by more than 6,000 members, 1,000 volunteers and 35 full-time staff. For more information on the Active Transportation Alliance, visit www.activetrans.org or call 312.427.3325.