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or Use Printable
registration
form.
Free Music!
Homemade Goodies!
Bike Mechanics at All Rest
Stops!
SAG Wagons along the Route!
Dawes
Park-Church St. & Sheridan Rd,
Evanston, Ill. (Click
for map)
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Thanks for your support!
Check back in March for
Information on the
25th North Shore Century
September 13th, 2009
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Come for the "Last Ride of Summer"
Join us on Sunday, September 21st when the Evanston Bicycle Club sponsors one of Chicagoland's premiere invitational rides - the
24th annual North Shore Century.
It's a chance to tour some of the North Shore's most luxurious residential neighborhoods... view unique architectural treasures on leafy streets... then open it up in the flat to rolling countryside between Chicago and Wisconsin.
It's beautiful, it's fun, and it's as easy-going or challenging as you want to make it.
Hundreds of riders make the North Shore Century their last - maybe their best - ride of summer. You can, too. |
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The North Shore
Century is Not Just 100 Miles
We offer a variety of well-mapped and well-marked rides for biking enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Choose the route that's right for you. Annotated cue sheets and painted street markers guide you on trips of 25, 50, 62 (a metric century) or 100
miles All routes share
the same first 5 miles.
All routes depart from and finish at Dawes Park, where Church Street meets Evanston's lakefront.
(Scroll down for parking information.) Registration begins at 6 a.m. on the day of the ride. Century riders must register by 9 a.m. All others may register until 11 a.m., at which time registration closes. Routes close at 6 p.m. |
And Bring the Kids!
We're always glad to see families riding
together. We're offering a family option so that a family of
four can ride the 25 mile route together for only $20.00. Drinks and snacks will be provided at the
halfway point of the ride.
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If You - or Your Tires - Go Flat
...we offer frequent rest stops, stocked with free, nourishing snacks and drinks, every 15 to 18 miles. Not to mention ...
- Bike mechanics at the start/finish line in Dawes Park to provide pre-ride safety checks.
- Bike mechanics at all rest stops
- Road monitors (on bikes) sweeping the route all day.
- Sag wagons in case of emergencies.
- Free bagels and coffee at the registration area.
- Live music!
Safety Tips |
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| A Beauty of
a Ride |
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What to
Bring |
| "There are a
hundred reasons why hundreds of bicyclists of all ages and skill
levels will ride in the North Shore Century. Each mile is a
delightful blend of easy riding and terrific viewing." Click
here to read the full article from Chicago Athlete Magazine.
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You are expected to
bring a bike in good condition and a spare tube or patch kit.
You should also have water or a hydration drink. Helmets are
strongly recommended along with suitable clothing based on expected
weather. |
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How to Register
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Helmets are strongly
recommended!
Enrollment is limited to 1,600 riders.
We encourage you to pre-register.
The fee is
$15 if
your registration form and payment is postmarked by August 17th, 2008. After that, the
fee is $20 for registrations. No mail-in pre-registration after September
12th, 2008.
Registration on
the day of the event is $20.
Groups
of five or more who pre-register for the ride by delivering their forms and
payment in the same envelope get a 10% discount!
Children 12 and younger can participate
for $10 each. Children who are passengers on the ride are free. For
the 25 mile route, up to four members per family who ride
together can register for just $20. Children who are passengers on the ride
are, of course, free.
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Online & Mail Registration are Closed
You may Register at the start on Sunday! |
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or use this Printable
registration
form. |
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Click for driving
directions or map
to start/finish at Dawes Park at Church Street and Sheridan Road in Evanston. |
Registration begins at 6:00 am on the day of the ride. Century and
metric-century (62 miles, 100 km) riders must register by 9:00 am. All others may
register until 11:00 am, at which time registration closes.
There is no fixed start time. You may begin to ride as soon as you have
finished registration.The registration facility
has restrooms, telephones, picnic tables, and shelter.
Bagels and coffee will be available at no charge at the registration area before you
begin your ride.
You are expected to bring a bike in good condition with spare tube, basic tools, and
rudimentary knowledge of repairs.
Bike mechanics from local bike shops will be available
at the registration area to give
your bike a safety check before you begin your ride.
We will have bike shop mechanics at the start, two next stops, and the last rest stop on the longer routes to provide minor repairs.
There will be one rest stop on the 25-mile route, two rest stops on the 50-mile route,
three rest stops on the 62-mile route, and five rest stops on the century route, not
including the start/finish area at Dawes Park.
Riders must be off the course by 6:00 pm. |
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We typically donate a large portion of the funds raised by the ride to local organizations and agencies that promote safe, fun bicycling, including the
League of Illinois Bicyclists,
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Y.O.U. (a youth services agency in
Evanston), local police departments and others. We plan to continue that tradition. Riders must
obey the same traffic laws as motorists. Our ability to offer this ride
each year is dependent on the conduct of our riders. Aside from the question of
safety, riders who ride recklessly or discourteously, or disobey traffic laws, can cause
towns along our routes to bar us from using their streets for our routes next year.
Drivers and cyclists need to get along!
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Keep the NSC alive in
the future:
Please be courteous to Lakeshore
residents. While we encourage enthusiasm about the ride, we
ask that riders keep their voices at a low volume in the morning, as
not to awaken residents.
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Arriving
and Parking for the NSC
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Evanston is easy to get to by
car, but on street parking in the high-density residential area near Dawes
Park is very hard to find. Both Evanston City parking garages
and the Northwestern University garage are located close to the
start/finish line and parking is Free on Sundays. Remember to take your bike OFF the roof before
entering garage.
The parking garages are located at:
- Northwestern University Parking Garage (3 blocks north of
Start/Finish). Cars with roof-racks may park on the upper level. Click for
map. (P1)
- The Maple Avenue entrance of the new parking garage at 1800 Maple
(1 block north of the Transportation Center's "L" / METRA stops on Maple at
Clark St.). Click for map.
(P2)
- The parking garage on Chicago Ave. at 525 Church St.
Alternate entrance on Clark at 524 Clark Ave. Click
for map. (P3)
- The Sherman Plaza Self Park on Davis St. at Benson
Ave. Click
for map. (P4)
It is also easy to get to Evanston without a car.
Downtown Evanston is well served by public transit. The CTA trains now allow bikes during all hours on weekends.
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RTA online trip planner click
here.
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CTA train info click
here.
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CTA "L" service is available from Chicago into Evanston's Davis St station.
Davis St. is a handicapped accessible station (easier for taking bikes
through) with an elevator. From the station go a half block north to
Church St and then 6 blocks East to Dawes Park. It's all down hill.
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For more info on CTA Bike and Ride program click
here.
If you are coming from the western suburbs of Evanston the Pace busses
that serve downtown Evanston all have bike carriers.
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Pace bus routes to Davis St. Evanston with Sunday service are the 208 and
250. Both routes stop at the Davis St. CTA station. From
the station go a half block north to Church St and then 6 blocks East to
Dawes Park. It's all down hill.
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Pace Route Information click
here.
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208 - serves Skokie and Niles via Golf Rd. to Old Orchard, Golf Mill
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250 - serves Skokie, Morton Grove and Des Plaines via Dempster St.
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