The couple is also active in several other charity organizations. It was a natural role because I knew both organizations and now the Wrigley Field Road Tour has a foundation on which to grow.” Légère adds, “I was the person who brought Cubs Charities and World Bicycle Relief together to make this happen. “She did everything from getting corporate sponsorships to water bottles.” Ms. “Everything was based on a handshake the first year, and I’d say we had a very organized ride this year thanks to Sylvie,” he says. Ricketts admits they were a little more prepared for this year’s 100-mile Wrigley Field Road Tour, which started and ended at Wrigley Field and raised $500,000. So we came up with the idea of riding our bikes to Milwaukee in 2011 to raise money for Cubs Charities and World Bicycle Relief.”
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“World Bicycle Relief became a sponsor of the free bike valet at Wrigley Field, and one of the things I told the organization when they committed to sponsoring the free valet was that we’d make it worth their while. “The Wrigley Field Road Tour is once a year, generally in August or September,” explains Mr. The couple has also transferred their love of cycling over into philanthropic endeavors like the Wrigley Field Road Tour, which raises funds for Cubs Charities and World Bicycle Relief – an organization that’s established bicycle programs in several African countries to improve inhabitants’ access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity by increasing carrying capacity and accessible travel distance while decreasing the time it takes to commute to and from schools, clinics and markets. “People bring in their own bikes, set them up on the CompuTrainer and do a training program to stay in shape so they’re ready to ride come spring.” “A CompuTrainer provides our customers indoor training,” adds Ms. “Chicago’s a six-month bicycling environment, but we have a CompuTrainer at the studio in Highland Park,” says Mr. Légère admit business is relatively slow during the winter, that doesn’t prevent the bike shop owners from engaging their customers year round. Through the clinic, we want women to be more confident on their bikes, and we’re trying to get more women to participate in races and become really active in the sport.” “I’ve also partnered with Francine Haas to build an annual Women’s Cycling Clinic, held once a year in April for an entire day. “I started a women’s riding program, which offers weekly rides in spring, summer and fall,” she says. Légère’s focus at the bike shop is growing women’s cycling. I now spend a lot of time with my business partner, going through all purchasing/inventory and coaching our managers.”Ms. I didn’t want to see mine go away, so we bought the shop. So I’ve always gone out of my way to have a bike, and I feel people deserve to have a good bike shop in their neighborhood. “I had that in the back of my mind when the original owner of Higher Gear passed away, so I called Brendan and said, ‘Why don’t we learn a bit more about the bike industry by buying this shop?’ I also had another motive – I didn’t have a bike when I was a kid. “My business partner Brendan Sullivan presented an idea that had to do with bicycle parts,” recalls Mr. Ricketts, who purchased Higher Gear in 2009. “When we were dating in the ‘90s, we’d head over to Kettle Moraine Park on our mountain bikes and peddle around,” shares Mr. What you’d see is a loving couple sharing a passion for the cycling industry. Visiting Higher Gear bike shop in Wilmette, you wouldn’t know two of the three owners were involved with the 136-year-old baseball franchise, even if they were wearing Cubs jerseys. However, beyond the ivy-clad walls of Wrigley Field lies a completely different life for Mr. The youngest Ricketts sibling, Todd, even appeared on an episode of CBS’s Undercover Boss so he could find out what life was like for employees outside the Cubs boardroom. When most people hear the name Ricketts, they think of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs. As business owners, avid cyclists, philanthropists and parents, this extraordinary couple shares the details of their active lives and invites you along for the ride.
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