Michigan’s largest cycling ride, the Tour de Troit, kicks off Saturday, attracting riders from all over the metro area.
Around 7,000 people are expected to ride in the Tour de Troit, more than double the number of riders in the weekly Slow Roll Detroit.
The 17th Annual Tour de Troit, presented by Flagstar Bank and set for September 15, 2018, is a bike ride that explores some of the city’s historic areas, takes in many of its most breathtaking sights, and provides bicyclists a unique opportunity to legally “take over” the streets of Motown.
The Tour de Troit offers two rides to choose from:
MAIN: The primary Tour de Troit is a leisurely ride of 25.6 miles with police escort; sweeper- and SAG-support; three mechanic “pit stops;” and one rest stop that includes a snack and mechanical support. The main ride will take off at 9 a.m.
METRIC: For extremely experienced cyclists, the Tour de Troit offers a metric century (62 miles) option that does not include police escort. Riders should be able to ride approx. 15MPH and be comfortable on city streets following the Rules of the Road. This ride is sweeper- and SAG-supported but intersections are not closed to traffic. The metric century ride is capped at 500. There are two rest stops for the metric century ride.
When the Tour de Troit began, only 30 people were involved. As recent as 7 years ago, having 1,000 people was a pipe dream, said Bil Lusa, chairman of the board. The interest has grown each year. This year nearly 7000 participated.
The annual event shows cyclists the best sights in Detroit while raising money for Southwest Detroit Greenlink, a nonprofit that develops bike lanes and other cycling facilities in Detroit.
For the most recent article, see Lauren Abdel-Razzaq, “Bicyclists explore city in annual Tour de Troit event”, Detroit News, September 20, 2014.