In the works

Go the Distance with Detroit Bikes!

A guided tour of Detroit on bikes, hitting some classic spots of our city along with some interesting information and stops that you might not have seen in your latest postcard of Detroit, MI, USA

• Theme: Cycling in the city/a postcard from Detroit via bike

• Goal: to have a rehearsed plan and operating tour for the weekend of the All-Star Game and many more successful rides and tours beyond.

• A great way to visit Detroit, see Detroit, be Detroit.

Issues? Concerns?

• Volunteers?  Who will go the distance with Detroit Bikes! Over the next month?  I just need you to apply your talents that you already have one step further…..i.e. promotions??? Are you a journalist?…….sponsors?? do you have connections to local bike shops?

• Project Planning

• Promotion:  Airplay, radio, published press, word of mouth, flyers…anything that grabs attention.

• Graphics:  design flyers, find images, make banners for use on the web page, design tickets…push the image of cycling the city with Detroit Bikes!

• Souvenirs:  design, help find suppliers and keep to a minimum budget, plan the process, and produce some interesting keepsakes for all to know you went the distance with Detroit Bikes!

• Webmaster:  take publications and supply them to the masses on the World Wide Web…includes the synergy web site, our Detroit Bikes! Yahoo group, and mass emails via our hotmail account.

• Promotions writer: eloquent use your use of the English language to portray the excitement of cycling the city of Detroit during All-Star Weekend

• Finance/Fundraising:  keep a budget and record of our costs and profits, manage the ticket purchases (RSVP via synergy site? And at the day of the event), provide a report of costs, profits, and donated moneys

• Partnerships-Sponsors:  send letters and invites to local and global groups that might be interested in promoting city cycling in Detroit.

• Partnerships-Donations: work with local and global groups toward donating or providing equipment to effectively run our tour.

• Head route planner(s)/tour information research(ers):  Provide destinations and key districts to enjoy the city…with important and interesting informational stops along the way.

• Road Rules attendant (1 per tour group)

• Leaders (1 per tour group), Sweepers (1 per group), informative tour guide (1 per group)

• Organizational person to enforce our timelines/deadlines and keep record of progress: Does Alex posses these skills? We may need some help with that question!

• An owner of a trailer capable of holding 20-30 bikes

• Volunteers:
• Decorate our rental bikes! For July 9^th
• Assist with producing our souvenirs
• Assist in planning the ride, and gathering research for informational stops
• Assist in gathering up materials for rentals on tour day.
• Bike mechanics
• Assist in printing our promotional materials
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• Who would want to promote a bike ride of the city of Detroit?

• Detroit Bikes! Is looking for Detroit Synergy support – we formed because of Synergy dialogue, we should share our success with Synergy teamwork.

• Get in the Game – Get in the Hunt was a great way to learn about the city in an intense way; would you be “game” for All-Star Game weekend?  By the way, cycling is an Olympic sport, and Lance Armstrong has been "sportsmen of the year" on several occasions.

• Discover Detroit -- a half-hour travel program about Metro Detroit funded by the Detroit Metro

Convention & Visitors Bureau, said they were doing some promotions for Synergy and D-tours and thought it would be great to promote the Bikes! Event in the show.  Each show is comprised of three 6-7 minute segments and airs Mondays at 5:30 p.m. on PBS Detroit Public Television WTVS.  Did you know it began as a six-part series, was extended to 12, went weekly last fall and was just nominated for an EMMY?

• Corporate Sponsors (local or Global) – Nike might be a stretch but, what about the great local support within Metro Detroit.  Know a bike shop that is trying to make itself known as promoting city cycling?  What about a bike-friendly business?  Better yet, what groups and companies want to see Detroit emerge as a great place to cycle, explore, and vibrate energy?  Can you say Faygo, Ice Mountain, or even one of the hospitals (cycling is a good cardiovascular workout)

• What does Detroit Bikes! Need to do to prevent itself from liability?  How do we find insurance?

• Do you know a bike club, or cycling organization that already sponsors rides, or a group that has insured rides to participate in?  Would they like to help us in our moment of need?

• Our friendly liability waiver/contact list forms at the beginning of every ride up to date.

• Know a group with plenty of adult and children bike helmets left to donate?  How about some large bike chains to lock up our bikes during the ride?  We could use these items to protect our riders and ourselves.

• Road Safety

• Are you knowledgeable about the road rules of cycling within the city?  We could use your assistance in either training our tour leaders the rules or in volunteering to participate in our ride in briefly give our guest cyclists some quick rules to follow while on the tour and in the pack.

• Timeline
• See attached calendar of estimated deadlines

• Budget

o        Projected cost of ride per individual $12-15

o        Donations: monies earned split between Detroit Bikes!, Back Alley Bikes, and Detroit Synergy

o       The costs of making this happen???