Chicago Bike Clubs and Group Rides: Where to Join In

Chicago riders sort themselves by pace, neighborhood and purpose. Some clubs hold dues and board meetings. Some are a name on a shop’s Strava page and a parking lot at dawn. This guide starts with the open ride list, then covers the two clubs with real membership structures and the rides built for particular communities. It belongs to the events section because clubs are how most riders find the rest of the calendar.

Start with the open ride list

Half Acre Cycling maintains Chicago Group Rides, a list of regularly scheduled open rides for each day of the week, with start location, pace and distance³. The standing rules are short: helmets required, no tri-bars, bring a flat kit, and bring lights for evening rides³. Confirm details with the ride host before you join, because routes and start times shift with the season³.

Ride	When	Start	Pace and distance
Chicago Cycling Club	Mondays, 6:00 p.m.	Lincoln and California	20-25 mph, 30-35 miles3
Half Acre Wednesday Night for Mortals	Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m.	Winnemac Park lot, Winnemac and Damen	16-18 mph, 20 miles3
Specialized Fulton Saturdays	Saturdays, 7:30 a.m.	Specialized Fulton Market	18-19 mph, 54 miles3
Windy City Cycling	Saturdays, 9 a.m.	Addison, on the Lake Path	12-15 mph, 27 miles3
Pedal & Social Tuesday Night	Tuesdays, 6 p.m. meetup, 6:30 rollout	Pedal & Spoke	Casual, 10-20 miles3
MTC3 Trail Ride	Saturdays, 8:00 a.m.	Jackie Robinson Park, 107th and Sangamon	10-11 mph, 10 miles3

Match your normal pace to the row, not the pace you hope to reach by August.

Reading pace: drop and no-drop

The list uses two terms. A no-drop ride keeps the group together. The Wednesday Morettis ride from Morton Grove holds a 20-22 mph average over 35-38 miles, stops for mechanicals and keeps everyone together³. A drop ride waits for no one. The Sunday Evolution A-group runs 25 to 30 mph rolling speeds with no regroups across 45 miles³. If you are new, look for the words “no drop” or “beginner” in the notes before you roll out.

Many hosts post the day’s route on Strava. The Monday Specialized Lincoln Park ride tells riders to check the Strava event for the distance, and Rapha Chicago sends non-members to Strava for its open rides³.

The Chicago Cycling Club

The Chicago Cycling Club was established in March 1994 by Todd Harris, Kathy Papienski, Kathy Schubert and Brad Beutler, to fill a void caused by a lack of touring clubs in the city¹. Its mission is recreational, non-competitive bicycling¹. The calendar mixes fitness and training rides with history and architecture tours, beer tours, social rides and food rides, and one of its mottoes is “we ride to eat”⁶.

Membership is optional for rides and events⁵. Annual dues are $20 for individuals and $25 for families⁵. Dues fund club operations and contributions to other nonprofit biking organizations⁵. Pre-register for any ride so the leader knows how many people to expect⁶.

Major Taylor Cycling Club Chicago

The Major Taylor Cycling Club Chicago, or MTC3, takes its name from Marshall “Major” Taylor, who in 1899 became the first African-American world champion in cycling². Its mission is fitness, fellowship and fun for all ages and abilities, and membership is open to all regardless of race, creed or skill level². MTC3 describes hundreds of rides, events and activities each year².

Members get ride leaders who map special routes, sweepers who help anyone in trouble, ride insurance on all scheduled rides, club apparel at a discount and training clinics². The club also publishes a Major Taylor Chicago 101 guide for new riders². Its rides on the list include a beginner-to-intermediate ride from Lake Katherine in Palos Heights on the first and third Saturdays at 10-12 mph over 20 to 30 miles³.

Rides built for particular communities

Several groups on the open list organize around who rides:

• Windy City Cycling is an LGBTQ+ cycling group, with a Saturday ride from the Lake Path at Addison³.
• Femmes + Thems Bike Chicago holds no-drop social rides on the first Saturday of the month for women, femme, non-binary and trans Chicagoans³.
• BFF Women’s Ride leaves BFF Bikes on North Damen on select Thursdays, 8 to 10 miles at 12-14 mph³.
• Chicago United Saturday ride is a BIPOC-only, no-drop ride of about 45 miles from Comrades Cycles³.
• Chicago Muslim Cycling Club takes a casual one-hour Saturday spin from Ohio Beach on the Lakefront Trail³.

Social rides with no sign-up

Some rides want a bike and nothing more. Bikes Bagels and Bialys rolls on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. from Turin Bicycle, at party pace for about 17 miles³.

Chicago Critical Mass starts in Daley Plaza at 6 p.m. on the last Friday of every month, and has met year-round since 1997⁴. The Southside Critical Mass meets on the first Friday at 5:45 p.m. at Nichols Park, 55th and Kimbark, and averages 10-14 mph over 15 to 20 miles⁷. It is free⁷. Our Chicago Critical Mass guide explains how both rides work.

Suburban clubs

Much of the suburban activity and advocacy comes from clubs⁸. Each has its own character: easy rides followed by coffee, no-drop groups, speed-tiered groups, or peer training for racing⁸. Some run large invitational rides that have become well known in the area⁸. Clubs also serve their roads: the Bicycle Club of Lake County has held a twice-annual roadside cleanup since 2001⁸. The Arlington Heights Bicycle Club has led riders to Graceland Cemetery in late October since at least 2017⁸.

Pick one ride

Pick one ride that matches your pace and attend it three times before you judge it. Bring a helmet, a flat kit and lights for evening starts³. For the year’s larger organized rides and races, see the events calendar.