5.21.10 | Detroit Bikes! @ National Bike to Work Day 2010

In its 5th Annual Edition of Bike to Work Events, Detroit Bikes! encourages all cyclists, employers, and casual co-workers to park the car and get on 2 wheels. We have THREE RIDES on ONE DAY |

Ride 1: Woodward Ave ride (Royal Oak/Ferndale/Midtown)
Ride 2: Jefferson (Grosse Pointe/East Side/Rivertown)
Ride 3: Michigan Ave ride (Dearborn/Mexicantown)

Download our Promotional Flyers: Click Here

Interested in volunteering while you ride? See volunteer opportunities below or email: detroitbikes@detroitsynergy.org

General Information: Be on your bike, ready to depart, a few minutes ahead of schedule -- A large group of cyclists starting further north will continue biking past each meetup station, with participants joining at the posted stations.

Join the Bike to Work Day Celebration: At Campus Martius Park, promotional t-shirts will be given to participants, and coffee and pastries offerred from the Fountain Bistro at Campus Martius.

Required: Bike, bike helmet and signed liability waiver (at event location) are required! Bike lock suggested.

Pace: Intermediate level cycling speeds of 12-14 mph. (the equivalent of a brisk Detroit Bikes! tour, but not Olympic level training)

Woodward:

East Jefferson/Kercheval:

Michigan:

Start: American Cycle & Fitness - Royal Oak - 29428 Woodward Avenue (just North of 12 Mile Road) | depart at 6:15 am sharp | Parking available

Royal Oak - Farmer's Market - West entrance and long term parking lot ONLY! (metered) | depart at 6:25 am approx | Parking available (metered) @ west side of Farmer's Market

Ferndale - Southbound Woodward and Nine Mile Road intersection | depart at 6:40 am approx | Parking available (metered) @ the Ferndale Post Office

Cultural Center/Midtown - Woodward @ Wayne State University Welcome Center| depart at 7:35 am approx | Limited Street Parking Available (metered)

Finish: Downtown Detroit - Campus Martius Park | arrive at 8:00 am approx

Start: American Cycle & Fitness - Grosse Pointe - 20343 Mack Avenue (6 blocks South of Vernier Road) | depart at 6:15 am sharp | Parking available behind local businesses.

"The Village" in the City of Grosse Pointe - Kercheval @ St. Clair | depart at 6:35 am approx | Surface Parking available (metered) behind local businesses.

Grosse Pointe Park/Detroit - Grosse Pointe Park Public Library | depart at 6:50 am approx | Parking available (metered) at library and behind local businesses.

Rivertown/Indian Village - The Lofts of Rivertown, 6533 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit | depart at 7:30 am approx | Parking available along Bellevue Street.

Finish: Downtown Detroit - Campus Martius Park | arrive at 8:00 am approx

Start: Dearborn - City Hall, North Entrance Plaza | depart at 6:35 am sharp | Parking available @ the Former Kroger Parking lot (behind the Arab American National Museum), NE corner of Michigan and Schafer.

Mexicantown/Southwest Detroit - Cafe con Leche Coffee Shop, intersection of Vernor and Scotten Street | depart at 7:30 am approx | Parking available along streets and at Clark Park

Finish: Downtown Detroit - Campus Martius Park | arrive at 8:00 am approx

Duration: 1.75 hours total
Mileage: 16 miles total
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3738248 - UPDATED ROUTE 05/19/2010

Duration: 1.75 hours total
Mileage: 15 miles
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3738237 - UPDATED ROUTE 05/19/2010

Duration: 1.5 hours total
Mileage: 8+ miles
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3729191 - UPDATED ROUTE 05/19/2010

Showers and Locker facilities available to participants at the Boll Family YMCA at 1400 Broadway in Downtown Detroit.

Parking at Starting Station: Car parking fees and sites vary due to events, however free street parking is available in select areas around Event Stations. Parking is at owner's expense. Ride a bike!

Bike Parking Downtown: Bike Parking can be found in several locations including most People Mover Stations, the Compuware Parking Garage, the Parking Garage Larned and Griswold, the Riverfront Promenade, and along the Woodward Avenue Streetscape between Campus Martius and Grand Circus Park. Bike and Personal Items are sole responsibility of owner.

Bike Parking Grosse Pointe "The Village": A large amount of Bike Parking can be found at the Parking Garage behind the Trader Joe's near the intersection of Kercheval and Notre Dame. The bike racks can be found in the rear corner of the parking structure. It is free, covered, and monitored. Bike and Personal Items are sole responsibility of owner.

For more information on participation and biking in the city: http://detroitsynergy.org/projects/biketoworkday/folder-biketoworkday-participant/

Afternoon Commute

Getting Home: You biked to work, great! Now how to get home again? On two wheels....join the bikes! group for the afternoon ride back to local neighborhoods and the 'burbs. These rides will return up Woodward Avenue, Michigan Avenue and East Jefferson/Kercheval to the Pointes. We will be leaving Campus Martius Park at 5:30pm. Arrive in Dearborn at 6:30pm. Arrive in Royal Oak, and Grosse Pointe at 7:00 pm.

RIDE SMART: Alternate idea? Take a SMART bus (they can accommodate two - three bikes per bus):

Woodward:

route 460 Local (all day, stops at Royal Oak Transit Center and Somerset in Troy)
or route 450 (Service ends at the Phoenix Center in Pontiac, all day. Buses service the Royal Oak Transit Center after 6:40pm for all 450 buses - night service.)
Service includes urban centers and destinations at Royal Oak Transit Center, Michigan State Fairgrounds, Highland Park Model T Plaza, New Center, Wayne State, and Downtown.

East Jefferson/Kercheval:

route 610 [East Jefferson/Kercheval Line, local service stops at Mack and Moross and ends at Harper and 12 Mile Rd],
route 615 [East Jefferson/Kercheval Line, local service stops along Mack Ave and ends at Macomb Mall],
or route 620 [East Jefferson/Charlevoix Line, local service stops at Macomb Mall]
Major Transportation Hubs at Macomb Mall, St. John's Hospital (Mack and Moross), the Wayburn Loop (Grosse Pointe)

Michigan:

route 200 [local service ends at the Wayne (Ford) Assembly Plant.]
Service includes urban centers in Wayne, West Dearborn, and East Dearborn.
Major Transportation Hub at Fairlane Mall

Detroit Bikes! to Work Day is part of "National Bike to Work Day," and is an event partner with Commuter Challenge 2010, a series of events taking place during the month of May to promote the fun and exciting methods of alternative transit. The Commuter Challenge seeks to encourage Metro Detroiters to use of carpooling, vanpooling, public transportation, telework or flextime, along with biking and walking as means of commuting.

http://www.semcog.org/commuterchallenge.aspx

Volunteer on the Ride

Help make cycling a tradition by volunteering at these events!

We are looking for the following people. If you know you are going to participate, then why not volunteer too?

Volunteer Roles available for Detroit Bikes!™ to Work Days include:

Each “morning pit stop” requires 2-3 volunteers per station to show up 15 minutes earlier than the posted departure time listed on the flyers.

Volunteers are asked to be leaders of the station, with both persons collecting participant signatures on Liability Waivers from participants.
One volunteer per station will be asked to read and describe the Detroit Bikes! Rules of the Road, and stress the importance of obeying all traffic laws and sharing the road with motorists.
At the start and end points of the Detroit Bikes! to Work Event, all volunteers will be asked to help distribute promotional Bike to Work Day T-shirts to all participants, and assist with the distribution of other pre-event or post-event giveaway items.

These cycling skills are also valued support from participants during our event:

Any participant with the confidence, skill, and proper tools to repair typical issues associated with urban road cycling (i.e. patching and repairing flat tires and tubes, adjusting loose chains, or even providing the multi-tool to lock screws) can be a Bike Mechanic the day of our ride. Be sure to bring any items you may use.
Any participant that is aware of the dangers of road cycling (i.e. the “door prize,” stopping at red lights, riding single file vs. two abreast, or even hand signals for turns) is welcome to be a Pack Leader, assuring participant safety and providing support or insight.

We could use your support again, by participating in the Evening ride starting from Campus Martius at 5:30pm that same day, for the trek back home.
Finally, Detroit Bikes! to Work Day Events succeed because of the promotion and participation of the event by people like you. Please feel free to visit our webpage and download our Bike to Work Day promotional flyers to share with others. Also, be sure to tell your local community by distributing flyers to local area businesses.

If you'd like to help out with any of the activities, please send an email to detroitbikes@detroitsynergy.org, and let us know what skill you would like to showcase the day of the event.

For more information on Detroit Bikes!: http://www.detroitsynergy.org/projects/detroitbikes