After 39 years, North Shore Century ride is moving to Wilmette

(Editor’s Note: This story was reported by Wendi Kromash for the Evanston RoundTable, a neighboring independent newsroom. The Record has republished a portion of it with permission as part of an ongoing collaborative effort.)

Except for 2020 when the ride was canceled, the locally known and popular North Shore Century bike ride has kicked off in Evanston every September since 1984.

Traditionally, the ride, organized by the Evanston Bike Club, has started at the lakefront near Dawes Park; however, in a February newsletter to bike club members, the community learned that this year’s edition of the North Shore Century will start at Gillson Park off Sheridan Road in Wilmette. Club president Doug Hoffman said most club members were caught off guard by the change.

Each year, more than 150 club volunteers work behind the scenes and at rest stops to put on the ride.

The ride is either the second or third Sunday in September. Riders show up starting at 6 a.m., and the ride officially closes at 6 p.m. Being open for business at that early hour requires setting up starting around 4 a.m.

In 2024, the event accommodated 2,185 registered riders and 60 local charity riders. There were 160 riders who came from other states and 190 riders from communities outside of Chicagoland zip codes.

Other priorities

Peter Glaser, chair of the North Shore Century committee of the Evanston Bicycle Club, said there wasn’t one event or decision that prompted the change, but it became clear to the committee that city staff from the Evanston Parks and Recreation Department had other priorities.

Glaser is responsible for securing all the permits from seven locales where the ride has a rest stop. At each location, the ride needs access to a lockable storage location, restrooms, water and electricity. If public restrooms aren’t available, the club rents portable ones.

Glaser has been interacting and collaborating with various Evanston employees from the Parks and Recreation staff for the past eight years. Planning the ride used to involve more collaboration between the bike club and the city, Glaser said. But that isn’t the case now.

“The institutional memory of working together on the ride is lost,” he said.

The Parks and Recreation Department reportedly told Glaser that storage at the Clark Street Beach office was unavailable for the North Shore Century in 2025.

City park rangers used to open the building with restrooms the morning of the ride. The rangers helped pull out trash containers and raised the metal gate that allowed the group to park on the boat ramp roadway leading into the park. The past few years, the city declined to make these rangers available early in the morning. Instead, someone from the bike club signed out a key to the bathrooms on Friday and returned it on Monday.

As for the gate, a key was not provided so the club disassembled the gate before the ride and reassembled it afterward.

Glaser pointed out that the club could keep the ride in Evanston by renting its own storage containers or trucks to secure supplies instead.

The city’s response

Audrey Thompson, the city’s parks and recreation director, responding to questions from the RoundTable via email, said that the city’s expanded concession operations in the Arrington Lagoon Building has taken up space the event previously to use for storage.

“Additionally, it is essential to note that the event previously benefited from complimentary use of this space, which is not in alignment with the new directive stating that all special events should contribute their fair share without exceptions for any individual group,” Thompson wrote.

Thompson added that the City was unaware of the ride’s change of location, citing “limited communication” between the North Shore Century organizers and City officials.

Glaser emphasized to the RoundTable that all of the conversations and emails between bike club representatives and Evanston city employees have been cordial and without drama. He resisted those who wanted to contact Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss or involve their ward representatives.

Next steps

Glaser formed an ad hoc committee to explore options. The group felt strongly that it needed to be near the lakefront. A member contacted the Wilmette Park District and explained the club was looking for a starting point for the North Shore Century. Organizers needed a place to safely store supplies and access water, electricity, bathrooms and parking the weekend of Sept. 19-21.

The Wilmette Park District welcomed the club, offering everything it requested plus the use of tables and chairs, so the club doesn’t need to transport its own. The park district also included free WiFi so the club doesn’t need to rent routers. The park employees who open the bathrooms and help with trash and recycling will be at Gillson Park whenever the club requests.

Glaser doesn’t anticipate any significant increase in expenses charged to the club due to the change.

He’s also not sentimental or upset about the decision to move the ride away from Evanston.

“The ride is called the North Shore Century. We’re still on the North Shore. The ride is still by the lake,” he said. “We’ll be able to plan our ride as in past years. It’s all going to be just fine.”

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