American Cycle and Fitness is expanding on their 2007 Ride to Work Day this May 14th. Rather than just one ride, they’ll have three. You can register for free and one rider will win a Trek 7100 commuter bike.

The ride from Walled Lake will include LIla Lazarus from Fox 2.

From their web site, the three rides on May 14th are::

• Walled Lake American Cycle & Fitness to Fox 2 News. The route will takes us past Southfield Town Center for those who work there or nearby and end at Fox 2 News on 9 Mile in Southfield . Leave at 6:30am.
• Royal Oak American Cycle & Fitness to Campus Martius. The route will take us straight down Woodward. Leave at 6:30am.
• Grosse Pointe American Cycle & Fitness to Campus Martius. The route will take us down Mack Avenue in. Leave at 6:30am.

Note that these rides are weather permitting, so keep watching the American Cycle and Fitness web site for updates. There will be rides back to the stores at the end of the day.

There is no better time to start riding your bike to work and elsewhere with today’s high gas prices and great weather.

To help answer any questions you might have, consider attending REI’s free upcoming Bike Commuting workshop on May 14th at 7pm at their Troy Store. Here’s their plug:

Save thousands of dollars per year, improve your physical and mental well-being, and never get stuck in traffic.

These are all benefits we have realized by commuting to work by bike. Would you like to ride your bike to work? Do you think there are too many impediments to make this a reality? Join our year-round bike commuters at this free clinic designed to help you eliminate the reasons for driving a car to work. Richard Knakal and James Kimball have been navigating the suburban jungle of roadways to commute by bike to work for over 40 years combined. With experiences derived from commuting in Metro Detroit, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington they have the expertise to provide you with information you need to make your bike commute both successful and enjoyable.

Don’t forget that Detroit Synergy’s Bike to Work days are coming up at the end of May.

• May 16th – Royal Oak – via Woodward
• May 23rd – Dearborn – via Michigan
• May 30th – Grosse Pointe – via Kercheval/E. Jefferson

The Flint Journal recently ran an excellent article on bike commuter Doug Cook. Here’s an excerpt:

Before you complain about your miserable drive in Wednesday’s winter storm, talk to Doug Cook.

He was the guy on the mountain bike ducking the spray from passing cars in the dark at 5 a.m.
Weekend forecast

Nearly every day for the past year — no matter the weather — Cook, 49, has commuted to work on a bike from his Grand Blanc Township apartment to his job as a business systems analyst at the University of Michigan-Flint.

He does it on a steel-frame bike immune to road salt, three layers of clothing, a big halogen headlight and flashing green light on the handlebars, red flashers on his helmet and bike, and red tube lights on a reflective vest.

From the Detroit News:
The City Council may amend an ordinance that prohibits cyclists from riding on main roadways.

The council approved a recommendation this week to review the ordinance, which requires cyclists to ride on sidewalks or bike paths, if available, and not on main roads.

The request was spurred by Livonia resident Ken Pumo, who frequently commutes about 10 miles to and from his retail job in Novi by bicycle.
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