Biking in Detroit: The City on Two Wheels

Detroit might be the Motor City but biking in Motown is growing. There are many opportunities to see the city on two wheels. Whether you are trying to save money, save the environment, get in shape, or just take a casual ride it’s time to get back on your bike.

Rest stop on Belle Isle during Tour de Troit. Photo from Rex Roof on Flickr.

There are new greenways, bike tours, and cycling events happening all summer. Here’s a quick rundown to get you started.

The Hub of Detroit is a full service bike shop in the Cass Corridor. The Hub sells bikes, accessories, and parts and they do bicycle repairs. But they are more than just a bike shop. They also have a great community outreach & educational program for both kids and adults such as the Earn-a-Bike and Learn-a-Bike programs.

Bikes at The Hub of Detroit. Photo from fhartha on Flickr.

Wheelhouse Detroit, located in the Rivard Plaza on the Detroit RiverWalk, makes cycling in Detroit easy and fun. They offer bike maintenance, rentals, and tours as well as a retail shop. They rent cruisers, hybrids, road bikes and tandems for adults and BMX bikes for kids. Wheelhouse also offers a variety of guided tours; learn about Detroit neighborhoods, architecture, food, and more all on two wheels. I SO want to rent a tandem and ride around the city!

The 2^nd Annual Colin Hubbell Bike Ride is this Saturday, June 19^th.  The 12.5-mile ride takes cyclists through Midtown, Woodbridge, Corktown, downtown, and the Dequindre Cut. The ride begins and ends at the Traffic Jam and Snug. Proceeds from the ride will go to the Colin Hubbell Fund to support neighborhood and small business grants.

Detroit Bikes!, a part of Detroit Synergy, is having it’s 5^th Annual Jazzin on Jefferson: Far East Side Ride. The 16-mile route will take riders through the neighborhoods, parks, greenways, and business districts that make up the Far East Side and end at the Jazzin on Jefferson Festival. Saturday, June 26^th. You can join Detroit Synergy here and check out their other Detroit Bikes! events such as the Woodward Pedal Cruise.

Beat the Train meets at Historic Fort Wayne every Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. through October. It’s a 30-mile adventure through the streets of Detroit. They frequently ride through Del Ray, Mexicantown, Corktown, Woodbridge, Midtown, Indian Village, Belle Isle Heidelberg, and downtown but be prepared to go anywhere!

From their website:

Our mission is to promote safe cycling, physical fitness and a fun healthy lifestyle all in an urban environment. We plan on exploring historic and urban areas from a different vantage point, by Mountain Bike.
We believe the mere presence of bicyclist of all types in our city can only inspire others to adapt a fun and healthy lifestyle.

Tour de Troit, a leisurely, 30-mile, police escorted bike ride, is Saturday, September 25, 2010.  The ride allows bike and city enthusiasts to explore Detroit’s historic areas and most breathtaking sights free of cars and traffic signs. Tour de Troit raises awareness of biking as a mode of transportation and publicizes the growing greenways network in the region.

Bike the Dequindre Cut.

If you’re looking to cycle off the city streets take a ride down the Dequindre Cut, around Belle Isle, or on the RiverWalk.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your bike and helmet and start pedaling!

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I included two extra events this week. You’ll just have to deal with it.

Don’t forget that Father’s Day is this Sunday. So, an early Happy Father’s Day to my Dad!

Weekend Roundup

1. Detroit River Days - Celebrate our beautiful RiverWalk with local and national bands, Tall Ships, Chalk Art, Sand Sculptures, Parade of Lights, Ultimate Air Dogs, and more. The festival ends in spectacular fashion with the Target Fireworks on Monday night. June 18-21.

2. Motor City Harley-Davidson HarleyFest - The WRIF presents this Hog fest with live music, motorcycles, food, and fun. June 19.

3. Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Movies - Hitchcock's thriller Psycho and The Wizard of Oz will be shown with the symphony playing the score live. June 18-19.

4. The International Tug Boat Race - Tug boats of all sizes race for glory on the Detroit River. Huge wakes will be rocking the river. June 19.

5. Arab American International Festival - This free, family, cultural festival features live music, carnival rides, coffee cup readings, henna, international food, and arts and crafts. June 18-20.

6. Ford Free Fun Day at the Detroit Science Center - Head down to the KidsTown Fair where the little ones can learn about science in a positive environment. June 20.

7. Juneteenth Celebration at the Charles H. Wright Museum - Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. The block party features the Michigan Black Horseman, Buffalo Soldiers, Tuskegee Airmen, food, entertainment, and a parade. June 19.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

I Love Detroit Video Contest Wrap Party

Remember that fabulous I Love Detroit Video Contest I told you about? Yeah, the one where the winner will live rent-free in Detroit at the Albert Kahn designed Garden Court Condominiums.

Well, the winner will be announced at a wrap party in the luxury penthouse of the Garden Court Condominiums. The Wrap Party is on June 29^th from 6-9pm.

The panel that will choose the winning video are:

• Jay Towers, weekend anchor on WJBK Fox 2 News Detroit

• Shannon Murphy, personality on Channel 955’s morning show “Mojo in the Morning”

• Carol Gist, the first African American Miss USA

• Erin Rose, founder of Positive Detroit

• And me! Becks Davis, founder of Detroit Moxie

Carrie Cohen, Sales Director for Garden Court Condominiums:

From Motown to automotives, the people of Detroit have always made their presence known worldwide. That is why we are excited about hosting this event and honoring the participants of our ‘I Love Detroit!’ video contest with an enjoyable evening featuring food and drinks that are all locally produced. Garden Court is committed to supporting our local Metro Detroit community and its businesses and this event will help spread awareness about the wonderful things Detroit has to offer.

The winner of the “I Love Detroit!” video contest will be announced at 7:30 p.m. during the wrap party. They will win a luxury condo rent-free for one year. The winner will also share their experiences living in Detroit through a blog.

The party will feature locally produced food and beverages from the following sponsors: Mae’s a neighborhood café in Pleasant Ridge, Atwater Block Brewery, B. Nektar Meadery, Valentine Handcrafted Vodka, The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, and OnGo Energy Shot.

Designed by famed architect Albert Kahn in 1915, Garden Court Condominiums is a mid-rise condominium complex located in the East RiverWalk District of Detroit with spectacular views of the City and the River. It features 65 superbly renovated residences that seamlessly blend the beauty of the historic architecture with today’s modern amenities. For more information, please visit: www.gardencourtcondos.com.

You still have time to enter this contest! Videos must be submitted by June 21, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Get out your video camera and tell your Detroit story!



Call Me Unpatriotic, I Don't Care

I really wanted to write about Detroit today, I have some really cool things to tell you about. Something else is on my mind though and the muse won’t be quiet.

Love of a Man over Love of Country

I threw out a lot of bravado about the England versus USA World Cup game. To be honest, I thought team USA were going to get spanked. I’m a proud American and went out to root for them anyway.

First Confession:

I was rooting for both teams. I am SO American it’s silly but I was torn. Singing God Save the Queen and The Star Spangled Banner at the top of our lungs gave me chills. My heart melted.

These are my favorite two countries in the world! Of course, they’re also the only two countries I’ve lived in. So, yes, I was rooting for both teams.

England scored first. Awesome!

Second Confession:

Then the weird thing happened. Team USA scored and my heart sank.

That’s how you know which team you’re really rooting for. It happened earlier this year with the Canada vs. USA Olympic Gold Medal hockey game. Only this time my heart went the other way, it went against my own country.

Football, footy, footie, futbol, soccer. Call it what you want. To me it means England.

If there isn’t anything more American than baseball, apple pie, and Chevrolet then certainly England is footy.

But it’s more than that. I looked at my husband sitting next to me with his England cap on and the flag of England draped around him like a cape.

This is his first World Cup away from England; he hasn’t been back to old Blighty since late 2008. It’s his first World Cup without his mates; they’ve been friends for over 20 years.

My husband & his mates cheering on Bournemouth in the playoffs in 2003.

He misses England; I know that. He misses his friends and family. I know what it’s like to be far from home, to be in the minority, and it’s not fun.

If England had won the game it would have given my husband massive amounts of joy. So which would you pick? Rooting for your country or rooting for your husband?

For me it was easy, the love of a man and his happiness is much more important. Does that make me Un-American? I don’t think so.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

I’m proud to finally introduce you to my editorial staff. I would have done it sooner but I’ve had difficulty getting them to pose together for a photo.

The editorial staff at Detroit Moxie.Frankie Doodle Davis, my editor in chief, is perched at the top. He has his claws and isn’t afraid to use them to slash my posts in half. He’s MY boy.

Next is Owl-y Bird. She’s the only girl and the baby. She doesn’t really like being an intern and takes it out on the rest of the staff by eating paper. Oh, and she entertains us by playing the piano. Seriously!

Then we have Stoney, the Director of Naps and Licking. He’s very committed to his job. He’s a big boy but full of love and fluff.

Sylvester, Stoney’s littermate, is on the bottom rung. His nickname is Silly but he’s very skittish. He only likes it if you pet him with your feet. That can be awkward. Yeah, he doesn’t really do any work.

Weekend Roundup

1. Clay, Glass & Metal Show - This street fair is dedicated to artwork created with heat. Attendees can help create a mosaic that will later be displayed at the Royal Oak Public Library. June 12-13.

2. Detroit Wig Out - Sport a wig at this crazy one-night party benefitting the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link of Southfield. Good music & great fun! June 12. Wig Out for Kids on June 13.

3. Cars and Coffee™ - Gather with other car lovers, kick some tires, and have a cup of java. Classics, exotics, concepts, hotrods, and motorcycles will all be represented! June 12.

4. Berkley Art Bash - The 9th annual bash features amazing art, food, music and and fun activities for the kiddies. June 12. 

5. Kids Read Comics - This free convention brings together kids, teens, parents, teachers and librarians with professional artists and writers from the comics and annimation fields. Introduce your kids to the world of comics and imagination! June 12-13.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!