07/13 – 07/14/13
SPORTS
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
■ by bob gosman
Dan Rudrud of Wilmette competes in the 2013 Glencoe Grand Prix.
Riding with a purpose Rudrud uses cycling “as a pathway” for helping those in need
A fter ea rning his M B A from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2001, Wilmette resident Dan Rudrud’s wife encouraged him to find a hobby. “She rues the day,” Rudrud said with a smile. Rudrud attacked his new hobby, cycling, with the same devotion he has for his family and job as an executive director at J.P. Morgan. Over the next decade, he logged more than 100,000 miles and competes about 10 times a year in amateur races. He now competes at the Masters 45-and-over-level. For Rudrud, though, cycling is about more than just competing. It has become a focus for much of his philanthropy. Rudrud is the executive director of the Bahati Foundation, a non-profit that uses cycling outreach programs to support central-city youths in under-served communities. He is involved with a number of other initiatives including the Glencoe Grand Prix and the World Bicycle Relief, which provides bicycles to people throughout Africa to improve access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity. “I really like to do races that are charitybased,” Rudrud said. “There are so many ways to use cycling as a pathway for assisting those who need help and giving back to the community.” Rudrud was introduced to the Bahati Foundation when he attended a race as a fan in Los Angeles, where the Foundation is based. Soon after, Rahsaan Bahati, the chairman/founder and a world-class cyclist, contacted him. The two men bonded. Now, Bahati often stays with Rudrud when he is competing in Illinois or Wisconsin. “He’s a guy who does what he says, and he’s really taken the initiative to support our (organization) and others,” Bahati said. “When we go out and ride together, he’s provided me with a lot of sound advice.” Rudrud, who often commutes to work downtown by bicycle, does not let his mind go blank while he’s training. “There’s a saying in cycling that you live by suffering,” he said. “That suffering can
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provide clarity; I do some of my best thinking on the bike.” On Aug. 25, Rudrud will turn his attention to The Wrigley Field Road Tour. All proceeds from the 100-mile charity bike ride, which begins and ends at Wrigley Field, supports World Bicycle Relief and Chicago Cubs Charities.
“There’s a saying in cycling that you live by suffering. That suffering can provide clarity; I do some of my best thinking on the bike.” | Dan Rudrud “I admire his perseverance and the way he has grown the support of J.P, Morgan,” said Katie Bolling, a grassroots development manager at World Bicycle Relief. “Dan is someone everyone likes and respects in cycling.” The Wrigley Field Road Tour is an event Rudrud looks forward to every year. “What’s awesome is that (the race) attracts people of all different makeups,” Rudrud said. “There’s a group of us who hammer through it and get it done in five hours, and there’s people who have never ridden 100 miles in their lives and it takes them 10 hours. There’s nothing more gratifying than seeing them meet their personal challenge.” The democratic nature of the sport is part of what fuels Rudrud’s love of cycling. “You can’t pay the price of admission; everyone has to put in the hard work, and that’s one of the things that really attracted me,” he said. “It’s a thrill to go 25 to 30 mph for an extended period of time (alongside) a really good community of people.” ■
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