On Sunday morning, June 17th you’ll be able to ride your bike from Detroit to Windsor over the Ambassador Bridge.

Make sure you register now. It appears Bike the Bridge registration is closing for the event at 11am on May 31st. Since this event involves U.S. and Canadian Customs pre-screening, there just can be exceptions for late registrants.

Here’s additional information from the web site:

This is a very special Biking event. The Ambassador Bridge, spanning from Detroit to Windsor, pauses traffic to allow bikes to cross. Canadian riders will ride to the US, across the bridge, and meet up with the Americans. Then both the Canadians and Americans will ride back across the bridge. A delicious Breakfast will be provided after the bridge ride, at Canada’s beautiful Mic Mac Park. Breakfast will be provided by Tres Bean Cafe’ of Windsor. We also plan to have guest speakers and musical entertainment. Then one of two tours can be selected. The short tour will be approximately 15 miles/ 24 KM in length. The short tour will include a special production by Mackenzie Hall. The Long tour will be approximately 40 miles/ 64 KM in length. Both tours will focus on the theme of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The long tour will include a trip to Fort Malden. At the conclusion of the tours Americans, will be bussed back across the bridge and their bikes will be transported via truck. You will also receive a uniquely designed T-shirt as a memento of the event. If you want to attend this event you must have a valid Passport, Passport card, enhanced driver’s license, or Nexus card at the time of registration. This applies to everyone attending this event.

Hopefully the Canadians won’t tease us to much about our rapid surrender of Fort Detroit during the War of 1812. At least we took Fort Malden the next year.

WindsorDOTca also has an article on this event.

Participation in bike rides within the city of Detroit continues to skyrocket.

Bike the Bridge had 180 riders last year and over 300 riders this year.

Colin Hubbell ride more than doubled last year’s numbers with over 200 cyclists.

The Tour de Troit started with a few dozen riders is now having to close registration with over 3,200 riders last year.

And if the weather holds out, this Friday’s Critical Mass ride could be the largest yet with nearly 700 people attending or maybe attending on the Facebook page.

Like most U.S. cities, there is no reliable data on how much people are bicycling, but these rapidly climbing participation rates show Detroit’s heading in the right direction.

Cycle-friendly City

A Christopher Tremblay of Canton, Michigan recently wrote in to the Detroit News with his recent experience.

When I just returned from a 33-mile bike ride throughout downtown Detroit — it was the Bike the Bridge event that linked us to our Canadian neighbors, I was reminded how great Detroit is. We saw some incredible sites of the city and learned about some historical locations, which made me an even prouder native Detroiter. Events like Bike the Bridge and the fall Tour de Troit remind us of how bike-friendly Detroit is and how it is becoming even more receptive to cyclists. To everyone who is advancing the bike trails and mission, thank you!

Colin Hubbell Ride

And speaking of last Saturday’s ride, the South End has written a real good article about it.

“This event had two purposes,” [Trish] Hubbell said. “First, to give the riders a glimpse of Detroit — because being on a bike is a much different experience than being in a car — and second, to promote Midtown and support small businesses and entrepreneurship. In Midtown, everybody comes together to help one another and we want to keep that spirit going.”

“These routes give people a flavor of the good, the bad and the ugly of Detroit,” Trish Hubbell said, “but mostly the good, aiming to take the scaryness out of the city and change how people view it.”

Fortunately I had the opportunity to ride with Trish she shared a great number of stories about Colin and his love for bicycling as transportation.

One has to imagine that he’d be quite thrilled to see more and more people on a bike in Detroit.

Over 300 riders from the U.S. and Canada rode in the 2011 Bike the Bridge event.

Those starting in Detroit checked in at the Milliken State Park on the RiverWalk. The group rode to the Ambassador Bridge and over to Windsor. It was here that 90 Windsor bicyclists joined the group and rode back over the bridge to Detroit.

Cyclists were reminded to keep moving and not stop. It’s not everyday that traffic across one of the world’s busiest international crossings is stopped for bicyclists.

Once back at Milliken State Park, riders ate breakfast before heading out on either a 24-mile or 45-mile guided tours. The shorter tour included the Dequindre Cut, Eastern Market, Belle Isle and Indian Village.

Perhaps one of the best comments on the event came from Tristan via Facebook.

Wow! Yesterday’s tour was an amazing experience. I have a very different perspective on the City of Detroit. Thank you to the organizers and volunteers who put so much work into this. I can’t imagine how much time it must have taken. Looking forward to seeing everybody next year.

More photos on Flickr: Ravenswift and OurWindsor

The number of group bike rides in the city of Detroit is rapidly increasing. Here are six interesting rides on tap for this month.

Bike the Bridge on June 13th

Registration is already closed for this event due to the customs requirements. That’s to be expected on an international bike ride. With nearly 300 registrants, this should be a huge success!

Claytown Neighborhood Tour on June 16th

Bridging Communities and the Detroit Collaborative Design Center are having an open house from 4pm until 7pm at their offices at 6900 McGraw. The open house is to review the recently developed Green Links for the Claytown Neighborhood non-motorized plan. Yes, more bike lanes and routes, but this time in the neighborhoods west of North Corktown and Woodbridge. They will provide light refreshments and a bicycle tour starting at 7pm.

Collin Hubbell Ride on June 18th

This ride is a fundraiser for the Hubbell Fund which provides grants in Midtown.

Many of you knew Colin Hubbell, a dedicated Detroiter, midtown developer and community advocate! Colin passed away in 2008 after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer. We created the Hubbell Fund to carry on his passion for Detroit.

The Hubbell Fund provides small businesses, entrepreneurs and community groups with grants in an effort to revitalize Detroit’s Midtown community.

You can register at www.bikedetroit.eventbrite.com. More information is available on the Midtown Detroit web site.

Critical Mass on June 24th

Rainy weather dampened the turnout for May’s ride, which still attracted a few hundred bicyclists. Watch the Facebook page for more details.

Conner Creek/Lakeshore Drive Ride on June 25th

This 36 mile ride begins at 9am and is hosted by the Sierra Club. This may be a nice opportunity to check out the new additions to the Conner Creek Greenway on Detroit’s Eastside.

Slow Ride to Slow James

This ride occurs every Monday at 8pm and leaves from the Woodbridge Pub on Trumbull just west of Wayne State. It’s led by the Bikes and Murder crew, but don’t let that put you off.

From their web site:

No course is set and all skill levels are invited. The ride ends with the smooth sounds of Erno the Inferno and EastSide Jon – plus many special guests. We’ll be doing this every Monday till it gets too cold and maybe after that.

The also host the Bikes and Movie night on June 21st at Peck Park, which is just east of CCS.

On June 12th, the busiest North American international border crossing will be closing very briefly for bicyclists riding in the Bike the Bridge event.

The only way to register for this event is on-line and that is now open.

This is a very special Biking event. The Ambassador Bridge, spanning from Detroit to Windsor, is shut down to car traffic. Canadians will be able to ride across the entire bridge. American riders will ride to the middle of the bridge, meet the Canadians, and ride back to Detroit. Breakfast will be provided after the bridge ride, on the Detroit Riverfront, at William G. Milliken State Park. Then one of two tours can be selected. The short tour will be approximately 15 miles in length. The Long tour will be approximately 45 miles in length. The details of the tours are still being planned.  If you want to attend this event you must have a valid Passport, Passport card, enhanced driver’s license, or Nexus.

No riders under age 16 please.

Registration closes early — May 27th — so that the information can be forwarded to the U.S. and Canadian Customs. Don’t delay!

There is also a Bike the Bridge page on Facebook.