With a little more than two weeks left until the fifth annual Bike The Drive presented by Schwinn, registration is 50 percent sold out. But there are still 10,000 slots available for the car-free bicycle ride.

The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and Mayor Richard M. Daley invite everyone to ride in one of America's biggest bicycle rides on May 28, during Memorial Day weekend.

Participants will enjoy a morning of peaceful, car-free Lake Shore Drive with amazing views of Chicago's lakefront and skyline. Bike The Drive registration includes four hours of biking supported by hundreds of volunteers, an event T-shirt, access to three rest stops and a fun festival after the ride. Bike The Drive is just one of hundreds of events in Chicago's annual Bike Chicago festival.

"Summer bicycling is here, more bicyclists are out enjoying the streets and trails. Now is the time to sign up for Bike The Drive and make sure your bike is ready to go," said Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Executive Director Rob Sadowsky. "You'll have a wonderful ride with friends and family while supporting the work of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to make bicycling better and easier."

The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation offers a variety of discount packages and easy online registration at www.bikethedrive.org. Bike The Drive starts and finishes at the intersection of Columbus and Balbo avenues near Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park, with rest stops at Hollywood Avenue on the north and the Museum of Science and Industry on the south. Lake Shore Drive opens to bicycles 5:30 a.m. to just before 10 a.m. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation encourages participants to get an early start to enjoy more bicycling.

Following the ride, the festival in Grant Park extends until noon, featuring music, food available for purchase, a bike rodeo and special activities for children, along with other bicycling-related fun. New this year is the Schwinn Air Show in which riders perform aerial maneuvers 20 to 30 feet above the ramps and showcase technical stunts on the ground.

Registration is $35 for Chicagoland Bicycle Federation members. Children 13 and under pay $5, which does not include a T-shirt. For $55, receive a Bike The Drive registration and a yearlong membership to the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. Non-members pay $40.

The $70 Gold Package includes one Bike The Drive registration, a one-year CBF membership and one Boulevard Lakefront Tour registration. The Boulevard Lakefront Tour, another CBF fundraising ride, takes place in Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006. Groups of 10 to 20 pay $35 per participant. A post-ride pancake breakfast is $4. A limited edition, technical fabric color T-shirt with a special design is available online only with Bike The Drive registration for an additional $25. For more information about Bike The Drive and to register, visit www.biketraffic.org or call the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation at (312) 427-3325 x251.