Two summers ago my brother invited me along to do a 30 mile ride in Detroit called Tour de Troit. I agreed to go to check it out, but didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I mean, I love to ride bikes and it’s not uncommon for me to do 20-30 miles on any given Saturday or Sunday, so I figured this ride wouldn’t be a problem for me. What I didn’t know was that thousands of people would be riding along with me, they would be shutting down the streets where the ride was taking place, there is a police escort guiding the ride, and they take you through some of the coolest parts of the city to places that you might not normally feel comfortable riding by yourself. The ride begins at Roosevelt Park, goes around Belle Isle, and then back to the park where they have an after party celebration.
This year’s Tour de Troit will take place this Saturday, September 21st at 9 a.m. beginning at Roosevelt Park located at 2200 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI 48216. Pre-registration has already ended, but you can register to be part of the ride on the day of the event. For registering you get to be part of the ride, a tee-shirt, and a few tickets to use at the after party for things like food and beer.
Tickets for the regular 30 mile ride will be $65 the day of this year and that ride starts at 9 a.m. sharp. They will be staggering the start times this year so that everyone isn’t clumped together. You will get an exact time to start the ride when you get there and pick up your shirt and register.
There will also be a longer ride for those that are looking for more of a challenge. This ride will be about 60 miles long and will start a little earlier, at approximately 7 a.m. if you keep a pace of 15 mph, 7:15 for those at a pace of 18 mph, and 7:45 for those of pace of 20 miles or more an hour. You must be able to follow the marking on the trail on your own and this ride will not have a police escort, but the streets will be blocked off for you.
Whichever ride you chose, there will be food and drinks when you get back, including a beer tent. There's also lots of music and vendors with booths to look through. Last year I had some vegan chili when I got back and gave my tickets away to some guys who seemed to be more into the drinking then the ride. I don’t know about you, but a few beers after 30 miles didn’t sound appealing to me. But, then again I’m not really a drinker in the first place. If you can do 30-60 miles on a Saturday morning, who am I to say that you don’t deserve a nice cold one?
5,700 people have already pre-registered for this year's Tour de Troit and I am sure that there will be many more the day of the event. For more information head over to tour-de-troit.org.
~S
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