Andrea Navos biked 30 miles Sunday morning alongside her family down DuSable Lake Shore Drive, glimpsing views of Lake Michigan and the downtown Chicago skyline.

It was an important milestone for the 28-year-old Streamwood resident, who gave birth in July. She said she stopped biking when she was pregnant, and Bike the Drive marked her first ride postpartum.

“It’s fun,” Navos said. “We have the privacy of the whole street so we get to see the view. We get to enjoy it with family and all the other riders.”

About 16,000 riders joined Navos for the 22nd annual bike ride on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, organized by Active Transportation Alliance. The event kicked off at 6:30 a.m. with the road closed to cars between Bryn Mawr Avenue and 57th Street, a 30-mile loop. The bike route started closing at 10:30 a.m., with car traffic resuming about an hour later.

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Participants could ride however far they wanted. Rest stops along the route offered water, snacks and restrooms on the warm morning, with temperatures reaching about 80 degrees.

Amy Rynell, executive director of Active Transportation Alliance, thanked participants for supporting the nonprofit, which advocates for equitable and safe walking, biking and public transit in the Chicago area. Registration this year cost anywhere from $64 to $84 for adults depending on when they registered, and $18 for kids.

“If you’ve never done it, you’re missing out on one of the best biking events in the nation,” Rynell said in a news release. “It’s such a delight to ride along the beautiful lake with people of all ages from across the city and region.”

After participants finished their rides, they could cool down at the post-ride festival at Butler Field in Grant Park, and listen to music, peruse businesses that sell bike supplies and munch on pancakes and doughnuts.

After finishing her ride, Tania Sebastian decided to go with a more savory treat — a chorizo empanada. This was Sebastian’s 15th year participating in Bike the Drive with her husband and two kids.

“It’s a tradition for us, we do it every year. Sometimes it’s a little hard to get up in the morning for it, but once we actually get on the drive, everyone smiles,” the 48-year-old Lincoln Square resident said. “We hit 10 miles and didn’t even really feel the pain because it’s just so exciting to be on the drive with no cars.”

Along with the view, Sebastian said one of the best parts of the event is watching little kids power through the route with small bikes, pedaling quickly to keep up with their parents. She said her two kids used to do Ride the Drive on training wheels.

“Somehow it’s always beautiful weather. It’s just joyous to see the sun rising coming down Lake Shore Drive,” said her husband, Jason Sebastian, 49.

rjohnson@chicagotribune.com