Red Bull Spin Off Chicago Turns 12th Street Beach Into a Wild Floating Racetrack
Before the chaos hits the water at 12th Street Beach, Red Bull Spin Off Chicago is already revving up with local teams ready to pedal their way into summer spectacle.
Set for Saturday, June 13, the event transforms Lake Michigan into something between a carnival fever dream and an engineering experiment gone delightfully sideways. Think tandem bicycles. Now imagine them floating. Now add speed, obstacles, costumes, and just enough instability to keep things interesting.
So what exactly is Red Bull Spin Off?
The concept sails in from the Netherlands, where it’s known as “Red Bull Stalen Ros,” a long-running tradition that blends cycling, creativity, and a healthy disregard for staying dry. Teams of two design and build custom, non-motorized tandem bikes engineered to race across water. The catch? These machines have to survive a floating obstacle course—and look good doing it.
Chicago’s inaugural edition brings that same DIY spirit to the lakefront, with local teams leaning hard into personality, performance, and pageantry.
Among them:
• Rolling Matrimony — A newly married couple extending their celebration onto the water, proving that nothing says “forever” like balancing together on a floating bike.
• The Cruise Brothers — A Blues Brothers-inspired duo bringing Chicago soul to the course, complete with style, swagger, and hopefully, balance.
• The Honest Babes — A team channeling Illinois pride with a nod to the “Land of Lincoln,” featuring a member of the Chicago Snowballs entertainment baseball team.
In a lively preview conversation, participants Casey McCabe and Andrea Mart—decked out in full Blues Brothers gear—shared the behind-the-scenes reality of building their water-bound bike, from trial-and-error design to the sheer unpredictability of riding it. The stakes are simple: stay upright, stay moving, and maybe—just maybe—finish the course.
The event marks the first time Red Bull Spin Off lands in the United States, and Chicago feels like the perfect launchpad. Equal parts grit, creativity, and community, it’s a reminder that sometimes the best summer plans involve a little risk, a lot of laughter, and the possibility of plunging into Lake Michigan.
Whether you’re racing or just watching from the shore, one thing’s guaranteed: this won’t be your average day at the beach.
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