"The L.A.T.E. Ride is like Woodstock on Wheels. I loved the camaraderie. It's a gas."

"My favorite part? Riding through Lincoln Park and being cheered by onlookers as if we were the Tour de France."

"I rode with six friends from Lake Forest. We left husbands and kids at home. I usually hate to bike, but loved this ride! My husband, an avid cyclist, was surprised that I enjoyed it and wasn't sore. We all had a great time and want to make it an annual outing!"

"I've entered and won the Best Lit Bike contest about five or six years in a row. A few years ago [1998], I used 40 glowing cylume sticks (15 of them were 6" long and 25 were 1-1/2" long) to light up my bike. I also had 162 lights, including a revolving emergency red light, on my handlebars. I powered everything with fourteen C batteries, twelve AA batteries, and two 12-volt 7-amp hour batteries normally used to power a video light. On the handlebars, I mounted two animated machine-guns that turned and lit up. I spent a lot of daydreaming hours at work to plan this (just ask my co-workers). I found supplies at Christmas sales, car shows, flea markets, Radio Shack and mail order catalogs. I spent about $200 in supplies and 22 hours assembling everything. The batteries alone weighed over 23 pounds. My bike, by the way, is an old steel-frame Diamondback mountain bike that weighs a lot on its own!"

"I saw lots of people really decked out for the Best Decorated Helmet contest. Definitely more sophisticated costuming this year. It's fun seeing people express themselves in such outrageous ways."

"It was our first year, though we've wanted to do the ride for awhile. I rode with my wife and three of our four daughters, one of whom pulled along her 2-year-old son. My wife rode a tandem with our 7-year-old, Danika. I was impressed by her stamina. I was dead tired at the end, but Danika stayed wide awake the whole time. It was good, wholesome family fun."

"It was neat being up all night while all my friends were sleeping."

"Our staff came prepared. We brought ten high-powered lights, about a hundred AA batteries, thirty screwdrivers, thirty tire pumps, fifteen repair stands, and six hundred tubes. We fixed about 400 flats along the route. We had ten repair staff people in four full-sized vans along the course, plus fourteen guys on bikes handling repairs. Most riders were in a good mood and really appreciative of the repair service."

"I read about the ride in Chicago Athlete magazine. My wife and I rode with a friend who had bike trouble. We were really pleased with the repair help from Village. They did a great job."

"I met my husband in 1994 during The L.A.T.E. Ride. My brother Larry and I rode. Larry's brother-in-law was supposed to go, but canceled at the last minute. Larry then invited his co-worker, Pete. After the ride, the three of us had breakfast at Mitchell's at Clark and North Avenue. I thought Pete was a nice guy. He told my brother he was interested in me. We had our first official date about a month after the ride. We dated for two years. We did the ride again in 1995 with my brother and two of Pete's friends. Pete proposed in November 1995. In 1996, we did the ride with just the two of us. We joked around saying that we should've gotten married at midnight at Buckingham Fountain. We could've ridden a tandem. Something different, huh? Instead, we got married on August 23, 1996 in a traditional ceremony. If you want to meet people, I definitely recommend The L.A.T.E. Ride. Lots of different age groups. It's really a fun event. The riders are friendly and nice. Hey, it worked for me!"

"In late June, I was driving to a packet pick-up in the mini-van loaned to us by Bert Weinman Ford. As I crossed the intersection at Wells and North Avenue, I noticed a police car flagging me down. I immediately pulled over. As the officer approached the van, I started getting nervous. Much to my surprise, he said, 'I noticed The L.A.T.E. Ride posters on the side of your van. My buddy and I want to ride. Do you have any brochures with you?' Whew! Wherever I went after that, it seemed people noticed that van."

"My mom saw a L.A.T.E. Ride brochure at a local bike store. She thought it would be fun to celebrate her birthday by doing the ride. We don't often ride together as a family, so we loved her idea! In fact, all of us sang Happy Birthday to her on the route."

"It's a great experience to ride through Chicago at night. The ride gave me a chance to talk with my daughter, who was home from college. Everyone was really friendly. It was great to see a bunch of people just having a good time."

"My husband and I have ridden for the last three years. This year, my younger sister and her boyfriend joined us. My sister studied the route map closely before the ride started. My neighbor remarked, 'why don't you just follow the other 10,000 people?'

"I live about 1,800 miles from Buckingham Fountain, so it doesn't surprise me that I traveled the furthest to get to the ride. I rode with my sister who lives in Park Ridge. It was fun. I'm wearing my t-shirt a lot out here in California. A few people have noticed. When I tell them about the ride, they usually respond by saying, "You did what?"

"Nobody's too old for The L.A.T.E. Ride. My wife Joanne and I rode for the fifth year in a row. It won't be our last. We saw lots and lots of cyclists sitting on the rocks at both Montrose and Diversey Harbors to watch the sun come up. Chicagoans see many sunsets, but we don't get a chance to see many sunrises while cycling along the lakefront. [Chicago parks are officially closed from 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.] It was spectacular."

"2001 was my tenth year doing the event. My friend Martha and I ride together. We allow no naps before the ride! I'm so excited I couldn't sleep anyway. It's the best weekend of the year! I register early by mail, then make sure I'm first in line at the packet pick-up to get a low rider number. Each year I've cut the front design off the t-shirt, with my rider number still attached, and framed it. I display all the designs on a wall in my house."

"The L.A.T.E. Ride was the greatest participatory event I've ever joined. I loved the energy I got from such a big group. It was totally awesome along Balbo. I loved Roosevelt Road, too, especially going down that hill and seeing a mass of humanity in front of me. There's no other chance to ride all night in the city. Congratulations to Friends of the Parks for such an unusual event."

"I rode with a friend who's a body builder. He thinks I'm a couch potato, but he was the one who was pooped after 25 miles."

"I got a lot of high-fives along Lincoln Avenue. All of us had a real good time. You're so pumped you forget it's 3 a.m."

"It was wild seeing so many other cars at night on I-57 and the Dan Ryan Expressway with bikes on racks. We knew exactly where they were going! I knew then that this thing was big. We waved and honked at each other the whole way. Because it's a fundraiser and everybody was cycling, people seemed open to meeting and talking to new people. I loved it! I'll never miss it."

"My college buddies and I drove 5-1/2 hours from Michigan to do the ride. We stayed in a downtown hotel Friday and Saturday nights. It was my second year. What a blast! We plan to make it an annual outing."

"I rode by myself. It was easy to meet people. I'd talk to somebody for a mile or so, one of us would stop, then I'd chat with someone else. I had a leisurely ride with lots of friendly people."

"Even with thousands of cyclists around me, I sometimes only heard the click-clicking of the bikes. On Elston, the ride was quiet, almost contemplative. I enjoyed the quietness of the neighborhoods. Viewing the sea of reflecting lights in front of me on Roosevelt Road was awesome. I got chills up and down my spine."

"Six of us rode together. We lost each other a few times, but hooked up at the rest stop, including an "unofficial" rest stop at the White Castle on Elston. It's amazing how many neighborhoods we covered, from downtown to the quiet Northwest Side. It was the most active slumber party I've ever been to."

"This must be what it's like in China at rush hour!"

"I like the ride so much that I imported a friend from Kansas City to join us this year. The ride is so exhilarating. I look forward to it every year. If I ever move out of town, I'll definitely fly in for the ride."

"I've ridden for the last five years. The L.A.T.E. Ride rates as one of the highlights of my summer. I first heard about it through a friend back when only about 4,500 people rode. I then recruited two friends who've ridden each year, too. Sometimes co-workers join us."

"Everyone's so friendly. You can just start talking with anyone. Then they disappear into the crowd and you start talking with someone else."

"We loved the ride. A number of our friends say they'll join us next year. We'll see if they dust those cobwebs off their bikes by next summer! The hardest part? Driving home. I thought our 23-year-old would offer to drive us home, but he was the first one to fall asleep."

"Riding through the new Museum Campus was spectacular!"

"At first, it sounded crazy and overwhelming to ride 25 miles starting at one-thirty in the morning! But it's not -- we took our time and had fun. The temperature was great. I loved the excitement of the crowd and seeing people on the sidewalks cheering us on. I rode with my aunt, uncle and cousin. Next year we'll get all 15 people in our family to go."

"I've ridden since 1993. I like the excitement of riding in the city. Lots of people cheered us on in Greek Town and Lincoln Park."

"The police did an amazing job and were really good sports. I fell once and my husband had a flat tire. We both appreciated the other riders' friendliness and willingness to help."

"The L.A.T.E. Ride was like one big pierogy party. We managed to serve up more than 5,000 Mrs. T's Pierogies to the hungry participants, thanks to our seven volunteers working hard to keep the food coming. It's always a thrill to participate in events like this. It just keeps getting better every year."

"Moo!"

"I don't stay up all night very often, but I do each year for The L.A.T.E. Ride! In fact, I've ridden the last five years. It was even more exciting this year. More fun, more horsing around, new parts on the route. "

"I planned to visit my family in Chicago in mid-July. My brothers called a few weeks before my arrival and asked if I wanted to go on a midnight bike ride. I had never heard of anything like it, but it sounded fun. They had an extra bike, so we went. I've been in Chicago many times before, but have never seen it from this perspective. Bicycling through the city at night was wonderful. I'd like to do it again and bring my two children. The event was really well organized. I loved the breakfast, too."