While many Chicagoans tried to escape the weekend's sweltering heat wave by taking their workouts indoors, bikers at the McDonald's L.A.T.E. ride took on a different approach to beating the heat - they rode early in the morning. Really, really early. The first round of L.A.T.E. riders took off on the 25-mile course at 1:30 am on Sunday morning, and began trickling into the finish around 3 am.

"For some people, it was still Saturday night," said Scott Speer of Lisle, Ill., who was doing the L.A.T.E. Ride for the second time. "Gawkers came out of bars thinking they were seeing double, but really it was a group of bikers in the middle of the street!"

The L.A.T.E. Ride (which stands for "Long After Twilight Ends") began near Buckingham Fountain, and continued through Chicago's Greektown neighborhood, up Elston Avenue, across Foster Avenue and down the Lakefront bike path.

"It was great to ride in places you normally wouldn't get to ride safely on the streets," said Pete Kerbel of DeKalb, Ill., a first time L.A.T.E. rider. "Like really old neighborhoods with trees overhanging all the streets."

While Elston Avenue brought a view of the city's vibrating night life and Irish pubs, Montrose Harbor held a vista of complete darkness across Lake Michigan, and North Avenue beach put the twinkling downtown skyline on display.

"It was awesome," said Gary Clay, who completed the L.A.T.E. Ride for his fifth year as a representative of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training Program. "The start is just a mass of humanity, but all the people out there on bikes just warms your soul."

Participants crossed the finish line until nearly 5:30 am, and rushed for bottles of water and a buffet breakfast. Some riders put their legs up around Buckingham Fountain and waited for the sunrise, while others hurried home to rest - or not.

"I have to work as a lifeguard at 11 am," said Jessica Povlinski of Chesterton, Ind. "I won't be getting much sleep tonight!"

CAPTIONS

Photo 1: With nearly 9,000 cyclists in the L.A.T.E. Ride, particpants were released in staggered starts from 1:30 to 2:15 am near Buckingham Fountain.

Photo 2: Nicole Goula of Aurora and Gary Clay of Arlington Heights rode as part of the ride crew from the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training Program.

Photo 3: Teresa Lin of Chicago, Erin Crewitz of Chicago and Bethany Veerman of Wheaton, Ill. took naps before the L.A.T.E. Ride to prepare for a long night of biking.

Photo 4: "I just got this bike and I've been riding a bit after work," said Carolyn Sesbeau, a Senior at the University of Kentucky who is in Chicago for the summer. "I decided to do an organized ride so I could meet more people in Chicago."

Photo 5: "I think we annoyed a lot of taxi drivers out on the course," said Kathy Kari of Lisle, Ill. (right), who completed the ride with Scott Speer (left) at about 4am.

Photo 6: Mother-daughter team Sandy (left) and Jessica Povlinski (right) of Chesterton, Ind. appreciated the "nice breeze" along the lakefront on the humid summer evening.