Bikers of all abilities came out for the annual North Shore Century.

8 a.m. at Dawes Park was rather lively for an early Sunday morning; the park was full of bikes, brightly colored biking jackets and buzzes of excitement. Bikers scattered around the park, purchasing T-shirts or eagerly preparing for the strenuous journey ahead. Mothers buckled young children into bike trailers while some ran and played around the small crowd. Families, couples and friends gathered around next to their bikes, laughing while clicking on neon helmets and stretching. Nearly all the tables in the area were bustling with both volunteers and bikers grabbing small snacks, signing in or purchasing Evanston Bike Club merchandise.

That morning of Sept. 10, the Evanston Bike Club held their 38th annual North Shore Century bike ride. Thousands of bikers participate every year, some of which complete the entire 100-mile journey.

The North Shore Century brings thousands of bikers of all ages to the lakeshore, where the ride starts. The route, starting at Dawes Park, stretches 100 miles to Kenosha, Wisconsin. However, riders may move at their own pace and bike as far as they’d like. Some choose to bike 25 miles of the trail, which stops in Glencoe, while some bike 50 miles to west Lake Forest. Arrows along the trail lead the bikers, and they can stop at rest stations for refreshments such as ice cream and pizza. This year, 800 out of the 2,200 people who signed up completed the entire route.

Alan Cubbage, president of the Evanston Bike Club (EBC), volunteered in rest stops among more than 150 other EBC members. The event is open to non-members, so those in the club spent the day assisting the rest stops.

“Many of the members of the club don’t ride it because we’re volunteering to work it,” he explained. “We actually staff the rest stops and make sure everybody is safe on the ride.”

The fee to sign up is $50-$60, and Cubbage clarified where exactly that money goes.

“Each year, the bicycle club donates thousands of dollars to local organizations that work with special needs people, for example, or our bicycle advocacy group. There’s [also] a  group called Transportation Alliance that advocates for bicycle lanes [and] there’s the Center for Independent Futures, which works with people who have autism.”

He anticipates that the EBC will donate approximately $45,000 to charity this year.

Sophomore Phillip Camaya attended the event early in the day with friends.

“I heard about it from my local bike shop, Erik’s, and I decided to attend because I like to bike,” he recounted.

He beat his previous record of 60 miles and biked the entire 100-mile route to Kenosha this year. For Camaya, much of the fun surrounds biking with friends, and he plans to attend again to meet new people.

That feeling was reflected among many who participated and is perhaps why many bikers come out for the yearly tradition.