Despite the recent batch of cooler weather, the riding season is far from over.

And in Detroit, there are two upcoming bike tours that benefit the development of Detroit trails.

September 20th: Tour de Troit

This is one very unique, not-to-be-missed bike tour. Last year over 600 bicyclists did this ride. The Detroit Police block all the streets and vehicle traffic as the huge group of bicyclists slowly toured the urban environment.  It definitely puts style over speed, fun over fast.

This year’s tour takes place Saturday, September 20th at Roosevelt Park, Corktown, Detroit, Michigan, USA.  We strongly encourage advance registration.

If you register before September 13th, you will be guaranteed a T-Shirt with your registration. New this year will be a pre-ride packet pickup, to be confirmed in future correspondence. Advance Registration is $25, $15 for students. Day-of-ride registration is possible for $35 from 8:30-9:30 a.m..

This is the seventh incarnation of the tour, and our organizers have been hard at work planning yet another new route for 2008 which includes Downtown, Eastern Market, Brush Park, Boston Edison, University District, Palmer Park, Old Redford and Grandmont-Rosedale areas. A short rest stop is planned at the newly-renovated Northwest Activities Center to allow riders to eat, drink and learn about community development and greenways planning in the city. The ride will end at Roosevelt Park where cyclists can remain from 2-6 p.m. to enjoy music, food and drinks.

This year, for those visiting the city who wish to stay the night before, after, or both; Motor City Casino Hotel is offering a special, deeply discounted rate of $139 per night for Tour participants! You can even bring your bicycle (up to two) to your room! More information

This ride helps raise funds for the Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink project.

October 5th: Conner Creek Greenway

Wheelhouse Detroit, the Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative and Detroit Bikes! have put together a 20 to 25 mile tour of the Conner Creek Greenway and surrounding neighborhoods!

Points of interest include the Better Made factory, Norris Town, the Dorais Velodrome the Milbank Trail, and a lunch stop at the historic (and haunted!) Two Way Inn.

The tour cost $30, which includes a lunch at the Two Way Inn.  Add $10 if you need to rent a bike.  This ride benefits the Conner Creek Greenway.

The ride begins at the Wheelhouse Detroit, which is located at 1340 Atwater St., at Rivard Plaza on the Detroit RiverWalk. There’s free parking at the Plaza.

There’s more tour info on-line.  You can also call the Wheelhouse at 313-656-BIKE (2453) or send them an mail.

Last Thursday was another monthly Green Tea event, this time promoting biking in Detroit. It was a great success with a very large and diverse turnout.

Wheelhouse Bike Tours

The Tea began with an introduction from our hosts Kelli and Karen from the Wheelhouse Detroit bike shop on the Detroit Riverwalk. The shop specializes in rentals, service, accessories, and bike tours. They have a freebie Wednesday night ride (9 PM). Now the are offering guided Neighborhood Tours, some of which include lunch. And of course you can rent a Wheelhouse bike as well. Check out the Wheelhouse web site for further details.

400 Miles of Bike Lanes

Next, I spoke to the group about Detroit greenways and the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan. The latter was developed by Giffels-Webster and was funded by MDOT. The plan inventoried the many cycling destinations across Detroit, including parks, schools, cultural centers, recreational centers, etc. It looked at how to best connect them with a network of on-road bike facilities — bike lanes and shared signed routes.

In summary, the plan calls for nearly 400 miles of bikes lanes across the City of Detroit that could be implemented during normal road maintenance by simply re-striping existing roads. [Additional details regarding this plan will be posted to m-bike in the upcoming week.]

And while this plan was accepted by Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Division, it had not gone before City Council. The GreenWays Initiative and MTGA worked to change that. Last month Giffels-Webster gave a presentation of the plan to Council President Ken Cockrel’s Green Task Force. We discussed the plan with other City Council members and distributed the copies of it.

On September 8th, City Council will have a discussion of this non-motorized plan. We need pedestrians and cyclists to attend and voice their support during the public comment period. The Council is meeting on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on September 8th at 11:15AM.

Biking to Eastern Market

Next, the group hopped on their bikes and rode from the Wheelhouse to Eastern Market. We were greeted at Shed 2 by Market President Dan Carmody and a box of healthy snacks. We discussed how to make Detroit more bike friendly and how the Dequindre Cut trail will be an excellent connection between the Riverwalk and the Market.

Special thanks to Kathryn Underwood and others for helping make this Green Tea a big success.

Leor Barak on the Detroit Riverfront

Green Teas are monthly meetings to promote green activities within the City of Detroit. Past topics include urban gardening and greenways.

The August 28th Green Tea is about biking, including what current projects are underway and how can folks can more involved.

If you plan on attending or need to rent a bike, RSVP to Jeff Williams via email or call 313.894.1030.

Here are the details:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008, 4:30 PM at Wheelhouse Detroit (located at Rivard Plaza on the Riverwalk, Atwater and Rivard.)

BYOB (Bring your own bike or rent one from Wheelhouse!)

Meet other folks who bike, share what you think would help facilitate biking in the city, connect with bike organizations, learn about biking opportunities along the riverfront and the Dequindre cut, find out about the Detroit non-motorized plan and how you can support it, share your favorite routes, find a commuting partner!

We will also take a short ride to the Eastern Market for refreshments! (In case of rain, the meeting will take place under Shed 2 at the Market).

We just want a send a quick congrats and best wishes to Kelly and Karen. Together they’ve opened a bike rental, repair, and sales shop at the Riverwalk’s Rivard Plaza called Wheelhouse Detroit. The Metro Times wrote an excellent article about the shop.

And by the sound of it, their first weekend started strong.

Riding in Detroit is the cycling world’s greatest secret. Thanks to the Wheelhouse, more people will be discovering that.