Saturday, August 11th is the Colin Hubbell Ride in Midtown.
This is a great ride that raises funds for causes that were important to Colin, which of course included cycling. And if riding is not a good enough motivator, consider the great food at the finish from the Traffic Jam and Snug.
There is a 22 mile and an 8 mile option — or you can just make a donation.
Detroit River ferry service was back in the news last week – the Windsor news that is.
This CBC video and article provide a good background on where we stand with ferry service, including its potential to help bicycle tourism.
Gord Orr with Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island said the idea holds great promise.
“The potential of the bicycle tourism part of it is very exciting as we start to look at more trails and routes and see how we can increase more of that healthy lifestyle,” Orr said.
We agree. We need to connect the Detroit RiverWalk and Windsor River trail, as well as provide a crossing for the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route and future U.S. Bicycle Routes.
The CBC ran a similar article that spoke with MP Brian Masse of the Canadian Parliament.
“To me, this would be an exciting opportunity to put pedestrians and cyclists back and forth along the water,” Masse said. “Detroit has a marvellous waterfront now. They’ve worked hard on it and need to be commended for it. Ours, of course, is really nice and has been remodelled recently. This could be an exciting time to share both of our cultures again.”
The Windsor Star also chimed in with an article that also quoted Orr.
“I think that allowing passenger travel on ferry and bicycles included would also help the interest in cycle tourism. We have a number of trails to be enjoyed by cycle tourists and obviously this would eliminate the hassle of parking, crossing an international border at the tunnel or the bridge.”
It sounds like we’ve got the message out about the importance of this crossing, at least on the Canadian side.
Progress continues to be made on a new Detroit/Windsor bridge – the NITC.
As mentioned earlier, the plans call for a bicycle/pedestrian path on one side of the bridge. We spoke with State Representative Rashida Talib. She said that if it’s in there, it’s unlikely MDOT can renege.
On the Windsor side, bicycle advocates are now making sure Canadian Customs is prepared to handle bike and pedestrian traffic. They also want to ensure their new greenways connect with the bridge. MTGA submitted comments to U.S. and Canadian officials asking that greenways are connected to the bridge.
Do cyclists need a bridge and ferry service? We think so. The bridge would be a 24/7 option, but it comes with a steep price – a steep climb. It’s also located a short distance away from the riverfront trails and downtowns. Ferry service would be more centrally located and you’d only have to climb on board a boat. However, ferry service might not be available year round. The bridge would also provide some amazing views.
Zeboats offers a wide range of solutions for boating enthusiasts as well as all kinds of boating related products. If you are looking for a perfect boat we suggest you start your search on easy to use platform and because they offer a range of different boats to suit every budget from a small single person craft right up to a large speedboat.
Also, one suggestion is to create a name for this trail connecting Detroit and Windsor. Something like the International Freedom Trail sounds much better than just calling it the bike path on the bridge. Who could be against a trail with a name like that?
Or can you think of a better name?
This is a tragic story of a 54-year old veteran biking to and from work on Detroit’s west side. On Monday morning at 5:30am, he was shot in the leg and his bike was stolen.
Rick Neely is a 54-year-old. An army veteran who worked for a steel company for 20 years before losing his job in the economic crisis. Now, he rides dozens of miles to work each evening for his midnight shift at a packing plant.
But Monday morning, as he was riding home about 5:30, his family says four men on bicycles surrounded him – demanded his bike. They then shot him in the leg.
Neely has had his bike stolen twice before. He just got a new one last week. Now it’s gone too and he’s hospitalized.
Neely’s sister has already bought him a new bike. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Based on Fox 2’s reporting, it appears the crime happened on Michigan Avenue just east of Wyoming.
Property crimes and shootings are far from uncommon in Detroit. But before concluding the safety of biking in the city, one should recognize the likelihood that a greater number of pedestrians are assaulted and motorists carjacked. Still, it’s something to be aware of in most any major urban environment.
Come to Foran’s Grand Trunk Pub in Downtown Detroit this Tuesday, July 17th at 7pm for a four-course Faygo dinner that benefits bike lanes in the city.
This event promises to be an exciting evening! We will be hosting a dinner, similar to our beer dinners, using Faygo products. This will not be a dry event, so don’t worry about that. Tickets for this event are $40 which include gratuity. You can pick yours up at the bar or give us a call (313 961-3043) and reserve them over the phone.
1st Course: Ginger Ale
Ginger Gazpacho with Candied Portobella Mushrooms
2nd Course: Rock ‘n’ Rye
Rock ‘n’ Rye Pulled Pork Slider with Green Beens Alvondine
3rd Course: Orange Pop
Duck a’la Orange Pop with 11 Dairy Mac and Cheese
4th Course: Red Pop
Red Pop and Cherry Cheesecake with Red Pop Sorbet
Guest Chefs: Mike Torres and Brett Krogh
We’ll be there!
The Henry Ford has some key bicycle history. Perhaps the most well-known is the Wright Bicycle shop that Henry Ford worked with Orville Wright and relocated to Greenfield Village in 1937.
The museum also owns a considerable amount of other bicycle history, which they are digitizing. There are over 8,000 items in the collection now and 197 match the keyword “bicycle.”
Most of the bicycle items appear to be from other parts of the county. Still there are a few local favorites.
We especially love this “tweed ride” photo of Edison Illuminating Company employees in 1895.
In the 1890s, the safety bicycle became a way for many workers to travel to and from their jobs. This group of employees from the Edison Illuminating Company poses with their bikes for a photograph taken about 1895. The photographer was a fellow employee at the company and also owned a bicycle, Henry Ford.
Mr. Ford was better at building cars than framing his photograph.
Also among our favorites are these photos of Henry Ford with his bicycle in 1893 and famous Detroit bicycle racer Tommy Cooper in 1890-1891.
They also have the only known version of the ten-person Oriten bicycle by Orient. They also have a photo of it from 1899 on a street in Detroit .