Bikers Hitting Bucktown, Wicker Park This Weekend for Massive After-Midnight Ride

Grab your bike, put on your helmet and ride. But you won't be alone—hundreds are taking their cycles to the streets at 1 a.m.

It’s all a part of the annual L.A.T.E. Ride, Chicago’s after-midnight bicycle ride through more than a dozen Chicago neighborhoods. Now in its 25th year, bikers will fill the streets to ride 25 miles, including down Division Street in Wicker Park.

The non-competitive event kicks off downtown at the Buckingham Fountain on June 29 at 10:30 p.m. where riders can register and enjoy live music. That’s followed by contests, a color-coded lineup and the official green light to bike at 1 a.m. Sunday morning. 

The ride is sponsored by, and benefits, Friends of the Park, the non-profit park advocacy organization founded in 1975. It’s dedicated to preserving, protecting and improving Chicago and Cook County parks and forest preserves. 

This year's L.A.T.E. Ride will fund the organization's ChicagoPlays Program, a new initiative to build 35 new children's playgrounds in 2013 in neighborhoods of need.
   
Upon their return to Buckingham Fountain, riders will be treated to free snacks or, for $7, breakfast from 3-6 a.m., as well as post-ride awards while watching the sun rise at 5 a.m.

Riders interested in buzzing through Chicago in the wee hours of the morning can register online here. The ride costs $45 if bikers register before June 23, and will be $50 for those who want to wait until the night—or morning, rather—of the event.