Team Ride


General Information for Saturday Team Rides

Click here to read about our virtual team rides on the Zwift virtual cycling platform

Come ride with us! Our Saturday morning training ride is again open to all cyclists, including those who are not members of the team. The ride from Wicker Park up to Highland Park is “no drop” pace. This means nobody gets left behind. The intent is to help riders develop group riding skills, and our goal is to arrive at the coffee shop in Highland Park as a group. Typically, the ride pace is between 18-20 mph, but we will ride as slow as the slowest rider. If you are unable to keep up and a gap has opened ahead of you, you should yell “Gap!” and we will slow down the group to accommodate all riders.

Meeting times and locations: We leave at 7 a.m. from the northwest corner of Wicker Park on Damen Avenue (the Chicago Park District park, which is also the name of the Chicago neighborhood in that area). The meeting location is at the southeast corner of Damen Avenue and Wicker Park Avenue, about 600 feet south of the six-legged intersection of North Avenue, Damen Avenue, and Milwaukee Avenue. The ride stops at 7:30 a.m. to meet more riders at the southeast corner of the intersection of Pratt Boulevard and Ridge Boulevard (in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago) and continues up Sheridan Road to Highland Park.

**Please note our team ride is on summer hours (7/7:30) from April through November, and winter hours (8/8:30) from December through March.

**Please scroll down for COVID-19 safety protocols.

Ride route and logistics: The ride is about 47 miles round trip from Wicker Park, or 40 miles round trip from Pratt & Ridge. We have posted our ride route on the following platforms:

Be aware that in the interest of safety and responsible use of the road, we will occasionally split the ride into two groups. This will be done on an as-needed basis at the Pratt & Ridge rendezvous point. The objective will be to split a large group into two halves, each of which has a strong presence of experienced riders. The groups will depart about three minutes apart. Important note: This is not splitting the ride into a "fast" group and a "slow" group, and the ride to Highland Park must not become a race. It is not Group B's goal to catch Group A.

After a stop in Highland Park, the group will split up according to ability and ambition. There will almost always be a group heading straight back to the city, but please keep in mind that after Highland Park the ride is no longer "no drop" and the speeds can be significantly faster. You are responsible for your own way home. If you do not know the area, you should bring a map or smartphone. In addition to the group heading directly back to Chicago, there is almost always one or more groups continuing north on one of several popular extensions that we ride. See more info about the extensions below.

There are several important things to keep in mind on the ride.
  • Helmets are required. No exceptions.
  • Your bicyle must be equipped with with a mechanical brake on the front wheel and either a mechanical brake or fixed drivetrain on the rear wheel.
  • The ride from Wicker Park up to Highland Park is “no drop.” This means nobody gets left behind. We ride as slow as the slowest rider. If you are unable to keep up and a gap has opened ahead of you, you should yell “GAP!” Do not be bashful. And if you hear that “GAP!” has been called, you must slow down and pass the word forward. We will slow down the group to accommodate all riders.
  • We stop for flats. However, you are expected to have all the equipment (spare tubes, patch kit, tire levers, and air pump/CO2) necessary to change a tube and the know-how to do so within 5 minutes.
  • If you are at the front of the group, you are responsible for keeping the ride smooth and safe. We endeavor to have four experienced team members at the front of the ride at all times. These riders are familiar with the route and will aim to keep the pace steady. We also try to have at least one experienced team member patrolling the back of the group to make sure the group is staying together and riding safely.
  • We ride no wider than two abreast. Not only is this the safest way to ride, but it’s the law. Although we proudly assert and defend our rights as cyclists, we try to minimize our impact on motorized traffic. In certain areas (e.g. Glencoe) we are required to ride single file; we will tell you where. You will see riders put their arm in the air with one (1) finger extended meaning that we must ride single file.
  • No earbuds in ears, regardless of whether they are in use.
  • Aerobar extensions (aka "aerobars," "TT bars," or "triathlon bars" as typically used in time trials and triathlon) may NOT be used during the ride (but you can still ride if you have them on your bike).
  • If you need to spit, blow your nose (aka "snot-rocket"), cough, or sneeze, riders should pull out of the group or go to the back of the group to do so.
  • COVID-19 is still a public health issue and should be treated as such. Riders should not join, and will not be allowed to remain on, team rides if sick or symptomatic (with cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever of 100.4° F or above, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, or other COVID symptoms). Sick or symptomatic riders are encouraged to seek a COVID-19 test at a state or local government testing center, healthcare center, or other testing locations, and follow guidelines for self-isolation. Do not attend team rides within 14 days of a positive COVID test, any COVID-related symptoms, or exposure to someone known to be infected with COVID-19.
  • We stop at a coffee shop in Highland Park called Perfect Blend. Please abide by the requests from the management of Perfect Blend and do not use the restroom if you are not a paying customer as per the sign on the front door. Also DO NOT lean your bicycle against the windows of the shop. There are signs on EVERY single window.
  • Please be courteous and aware of your surroundings at and around the coffee shop. Do not block the sidewalks and the path of pedestrians walking by or into/out of the coffee shop.
  • Scroll down for more tips.
Popular extensions to the official Saturday team ride route include: Some other tips to keep in mind:

When we are at the Perfect Blend coffee shop in Highland Park you really have to stay on your toes and pay attention to what's going on. When we get to the coffee shop we all stop for 10-15 minutes to fill up water bottles, use the bathroom (only if you are a paying customer at Perfect Blend), and/or get a snack or coffee or some other beverage. It is really easy to miss the group that is leaving the coffee shop, either going back south to the city or going north on one of the extensions. There is usually a "warning" a minute or two before the group leaves, but when they leave (especially the groups going north) the pace can be really fast. The group going north usually rides north up Sheridan Road from the coffee shop VERY fast. Be prepared. You may be able to find a separate group that is also going north at a more reasonable (i.e. slower) pace. Ask around when the group is at the coffee shop.

The group pace (meaning the typical moving speed) on the extensions or riding back to the city will be upwards of 20 mph. It is usually in the 22-24 mph range, and it can easily get up to the mid to upper 20s depending on wind speed, wind direction, and the strength of the riders in the group.

Remember, when riding the extensions or riding directly back to the city from Highland Park, the ride is a "drop" ride, meaning that the group will not wait for the slower riders. The group will USUALLY wait for someone with a flat tire, but there is no guarantee. The group may also wait for slower riders to catch up assuming they are not too far behind; typically that means they'll wait at a corner or a convenience store along the route and wait for the slower riders to catch up. That does not mean that they will slow their pace to the pace of the slower riders.

Our team ride is a great way to get to know us and improve your own riding at the same time. We look forward to riding with you.


Teammate Talk Checklist:

  • Helmets are Required.
  • You Must have Brakes.
  • No Aero Bars.
  • No Ear Buds.
  • The ride is No Drop to highland park, if a gap is opening that you cannot close call out “Gap” after highland park this is a drop ride.
  • If you get a flat or have an issue, call out “Mechanical”.
  • We ride no more than two abreast, in glencoe we ride single file.
  • Stay on your toes at the coffee shop, we do not stay long. Many people will continue north, talk to the people you rode up with and ask what their plans on, many people often head back south.



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    Updated March 28, 2022

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