What Ride Illinois does

Ride Illinois, legally known as the League of Illinois Bicyclists, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 and headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. With approximately 8 staff, it operates as the only statewide nonprofit dedicated exclusively to bicycle advocacy, education, and awareness in Illinois. The organization serves individual cyclists, schools, municipalities, and corporate sponsors through a portfolio of programs rather than a traditional product or service offering.

The organization's core offerings include the BikeSafetyQuiz educational program (with over 550,000 completions since 2013 and nearly 275 participating schools), the annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour (GIBT) which serves as its largest fundraiser, the "Let's Ride, Illinois!" community ride program, and statewide advocacy work delivered through four Regional Action Teams covering Northwest, Northeast, Central, and South Illinois. Supporting technology infrastructure is minimal: ride navigation uses RideWithGPS for the GIBT event, the organization uses Canva for community poster templates, and the BikeSafetyQuiz 2.0 version launched publicly in spring 2026 with enhanced content including e-bike-related questions and Spanish-language support. No proprietary software, AI, or machine-learning capabilities are disclosed.

Ride Illinois generates revenue through six distinct streams: individual memberships at seven tiers ($10 to $300+), corporate memberships at seven tiers ($125 to $6,000), GIBT event registrations ($620 to $1,460), tax-deductible donations (one-time and recurring), Share the Road specialty license plate proceeds through the Illinois Secretary of State, and merchandise sales. Major corporate members include SRAM (bicycle components), Wintrust (banking), Memorial Health, and engineering firms such as Christopher B. Burke Engineering. The organization operates with no publicly disclosed revenue figures, holds a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency for four consecutive years (2023-2026) and a Charity Navigator Three-Star Rating in 2026, and is navigating a leadership transition following the 2025 retirement of long-serving executive director Ed Barsotti.

Name

Ride Illinois

Legal name

League of Illinois Bicyclists

Website

https://rideillinois.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ride Illinois is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit bicycle advocacy, education, and awareness organization serving individual cyclists, schools, municipalities, and corporate sponsors in Illinois through the BikeSafetyQuiz program, the annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour, and four Regional Action Teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bicycle Advocacy Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Cycling Events (Road Races, Gran Fondos, Sportives) (MPAKAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cycling, Mountain Biking & E-bike Adventures (THAJABAF)

Keywords

• Bicycle advocacy
• Cycling education
• Community bike rides
• Bike safety training
• Trail advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Illinois (statewide)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Memberships: Annual memberships sold at seven levels from Student ($10) to Benefactor ($300+), providing benefits including newsletters, event discounts, and advocacy voice.
2. Corporate Memberships: Seven-tier corporate membership program from Friend ($125) to Diamond ($6,000) with benefits including logo placement, event recognition, and marketing exposure.
3. Grand Illinois Bike Tour: Multi-day bike tour events generating revenue through registration fees. 2026 GIBT pricing: 6-day single occupancy $1,460, double occupancy $1,070; 3-day single $765, double $620; one-day options available.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted as one-time or recurring (monthly/quarterly/annual) contributions. IRA charitable distributions accepted.
5. Share the Road License Plates: Illinois Secretary of State specialty license plates generating funding for Ride Illinois education programs through the Share the Road Fund. $17 initial registration fee, $20 renewals.
6. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including GIBT jerseys ($75). Jerseys feature heat mapping technology and performance fabrics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ride Illinois is a statewide nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization that sells individual and corporate memberships, registers participants for the annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour, distributes bike safety educational programs (including the BikeSafetyQuiz), and runs community rides, Lobby Days, and the Illinois Bike & Walk Summit. Its mission is to make Illinois safer and more connected for bicycling through advocacy, education, awareness, and collaboration. Revenue is generated through membership fees, event registrations, donations, corporate sponsorships, branded merchandise sales, and royalties from the Illinois Share the Road specialty license plate program.

Product overview

Ride Illinois operates as a nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization offering a portfolio of educational programs, community events, and awareness campaigns rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include: BikeSafetyQuiz (free online educational quizzes with BSQ 2.0 launching publicly in spring 2026), the annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour (GIBT) as the organization's largest fundraiser, Let's Ride Illinois community bike rides, the Illinois Bicycle Calendar, and the Ride Illinois Safely Program. Supporting services include Regional Action Teams for volunteer advocacy across four state regions, the I Can Bike There campaign, Lobby Days and Summits for legislative advocacy, and the Bike-Friendly Illinois Map with regional trail guides. Publications include Tailwinds (monthly newsletter) and Upshift (member newsletter). Revenue-generating programs include membership tiers, corporate membership levels, and Share the Road specialty license plates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grand Illinois Bike Tour (GIBT) Annual multi-day bicycle tour and Ride Illinois' largest annual fundraiser. Offers 6-day ($1,070-$1,460), 3-day ($620-$765), and 1-day options with hotel lodging, breakfasts, two catered dinners, SAG support, rest stops, navigation, t-shirt, and luggage transport. Participants fundraise an encouraged $150 minimum in addition to registration.
• BikeSafetyQuiz (BSQ) Free online educational quiz covering bicycle safety and Illinois bike laws for students and the public. Includes a Mini-Grant program for Illinois schools providing $2 per student reimbursement for completed quizzes. Since 2013, more than 550,000 assessments have been completed, including over 340,000 by Illinois students. BSQ 2.0 launches in spring 2026 in English with a Spanish version in development.
• Let's Ride, Illinois!

Quantifiable outcome

• 550,000+ BikeSafetyQuiz completions since 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Illinois Secretary of StatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Ride Illinois participated in Secretary of State press conference on micromobility legislation. Organization is working with Secretary of State and stakeholders to develop legislation distinguishing e-bikes from e-motos and motor drive cycles.
• Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025IDOT is a key government partner for bicycle infrastructure development. Ride Illinois collaborates with IDOT on the $50.6 billion six-year infrastructure program including $400 million for 223 local projects supporting bike and pedestrian improvements. IDOT publishes bicycle maps for nine districts across Illinois.
• League of American BicyclistscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025National bicycle advocacy organization. Ride Illinois participates in National Bike Summit, League Cycling Instructor seminars, Bicycle Friendly Business program, and Community Spark Grants. League provides training curriculum and certification programs.
• Illinois Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on trail development including Grand Illinois Trail (535-mile loop), Mackinaw Valley Trail, Mississippi River Trail, and Route 66 Trail. IDNR provides trail guides, planning documents, and supports trail infrastructure development.
• Trails of the Grand PrairienotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of nonprofits and government agencies working to link and create expansive rail trail network in Central and East Central Illinois. Key project is Kickapoo Rail Trail (24.5 miles linking Kickapoo State Recreation Area to Urbana).
• Friends of the Constitution TrailnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit advocacy group working for expansion and beautification of Constitution Trail in Bloomington-Normal. Sponsors trail amenities and advocates for trail system to reach neighborhoods through connector paths, bike lanes, and multi-use pathways.
• Bike PeorianotableStrategic or Co-development Partner501c3 nonprofit founded in 2013 making Peoria more bike-friendly. Citizens and cycling enthusiasts advocating, encouraging, and promoting bike-friendly city. Holds First Friday Night rides and community events.
• Working Bikes and PointznotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerI Can Bike There campaign partners. Working Bikes is a bike accessibility organization. Pointz provides bike routing and mapping. Campaign aims to encourage bike use for everyday trips.
• Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.notableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGold Level Corporate Member and Platinum sponsor of Illinois Bike & Walk Summit 2025. Engineering firm supporting bike infrastructure projects throughout Illinois.
• HNTBnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGold Level sponsor of Illinois Bike & Walk Summit 2025. Infrastructure engineering firm supporting bike/ped projects.
• SRAMnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGold Level Corporate Member. Bicycle component manufacturer with national presence.
• WintrustnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGold Level Corporate Member. Regional banking corporation supporting bike advocacy.
• Rails-to-Trails ConservancynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze sponsor of Illinois Bike & Walk Summit 2025. National nonprofit converting unused rail corridors to trails. Ride Illinois attended TrailNation Summit in Cleveland to build trail development connections.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Transportation Alternatives: NYC-based nonprofit advocating for walking, biking, and public space; comparable model of membership-funded state-scale advocacy plus signature events and education programming.
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: National active-transportation nonprofit converting rail corridors into multi-use trails; a current advocacy partner of Ride Illinois focused on the same cycling/infrastructure mission at larger scale.
• Bike New York: New York-based nonprofit that operates the TD Five Boro Bike Tour (the largest cycling event in the US) alongside bike education programs; mirrors Ride Illinois' model of a 501(c)(3) anchored on a flagship annual multi-day ride plus K-12 cycling education.
• Cascade Bicycle Club: Washington state's flagship bicycle advocacy nonprofit; operates major regional rides (Cascade Cycling Classic), K-12 education, and statewide policy campaigns — directly analogous to Ride Illinois' Illinois-only footprint.
• League of American Bicyclists: National bicycle advocacy organization and a current partner of Ride Illinois; runs the League Cycling Instructor certification, advocacy training, and Bicycle Friendly Business program — operating at the federal scale that Ride Illinois operates at the Illinois state scale.
• PeopleForBikes: Industry-supported bicycle advocacy nonprofit that combines corporate membership, policy advocacy, and data/benchmarking programs; closest mirror to Ride Illinois' corporate tier model, with Gold-equivalent sponsors across the cycling industry.

Regional players

• BikeTexas: Texas-based statewide bicycle advocacy nonprofit; comparable single-state advocacy, education, and event programming operating in a different regional market.
• MassBike: Massachusetts' statewide bicycle advocacy nonprofit; similar member-supported lobbying, education, and event model serving a different New England geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rideillinois
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNtF5eBt6wN718w5mFziqDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/rideillinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ride-illinois
• Instagraminstagram.com/rideillinois

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ride Illinois