CHICAGO — Lots of dads kicked off Father’s Day building bonds on two wheels with their sons and daughters. It’s a tradition rolling strong for nearly two decades.
Portage Park and Dunning neighborhood streets filled with cyclists celebrating dads on Sunday as part of the 19th annual Eli’s Cheesecake Father’s Day bike ride.
“It’s just a fun thing to do. It’s a fun time. It’s a great event, nice time with community and family,” Jose Del Valle said.
The bike ride is a tradition for many families, including father and son Aurelio and Victor Ayala.
“When people ask, ‘What do you do on Father’s Day?’ Well, we go to the bike ride. After that, we go with the rest of the family for a celebration,” Aurelio Ayala said.
This marks Aurelio and Victor’s third year taking part in the 10-mile ride, helping the two build memories and healthy habits.
“Whenever it’s us two, we’re never in the house, we’re always somewhere doing something and its really nice,” Victor Ayala said.
As the number of people participating in the ride grows year after year, Marc Schulman, President of Eli’s Cheesecake, says it’s fun to watch the younger riders grow over time.
“Now you have grandchildren as we do, and it’s really great to see people come back,” Schulman said.
Along with deepening their bond and building memories, Aurelio Ayala hopes this Father’s Day tradition makes a lasting impression on his son.
“When you start doing something and it’s becoming a tradition hopefully, he knows you need to be a good father. It’s an example like hey, you got to spend time with the kids,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
