It all came together last weekend in Detroit. The weather was perfect and there were plenty of group rides to choose from. Detroit Synergy hosted two rides. The first started in the shadows of Comerica Park, followed the Riverwalk, and ended up in Eastern Market.

One highlight was using the automated self-cleaning bathroom at Gabriel Richard Park. It’s the first time a bathroom has spoken to me — and in different languages too.

After that ride, I rode over to the Urban Bean Company for a cold drink. While there, a Back Alley Bikes/Trips for Kids Detroit ride showed up.

Sunday was another Synergy ride that started on Detroit West side, meandered through Rouge Park, on to Hines Drive, and the Rouge Gateway Trail. The end destination was Henry Ford’s Fair Lane Estate in Dearborn. And with the spring flowers starting to come alive, it was a great choice.

In case you missed it, the April Detroit Alleycat was a great time as these photos show.

The theme was “drug wars”, so basically you got a brown bag at the start containing “medications” and directions. You had to ride to the different locations, deliver the medications, and get paid. You had to be at the bar by 6pm. Whoever got there first with the most money won.

The key to doing well is knowing your streets and choosing an optimal order and route between all the stops. Fortunately Skeez and I know the area pretty well. Our team made all the sales. There were around 50 teams (over 115 riders) and we finished 7th or 8th.

The after party was at TV’s on Grand River at 4th. They had $2 beers and grilled cheap food for us on their outdoor patio. The decor was very, very mod and cool.

The next alleycat, called The Gay Velocipede and the Darling Buds of May is scheduled for May 7th, 8PM at Hart Plaza.

It’s common seeing “customized” signs in Detroit. Most aren’t worth commenting on. However, since it is Earth Day, I thought I’d post this one from North Corktown.

Runners in the Royal Oak-area are lucky. While we don’t have the mountains and trails, we do have the weekly Hanson group run.

What moves this run ahead of the others is it attracts runners of all speeds and it’s year-round on every Thursday. And it’s been this way for about a decade or so. It’s just a dependable way to get a good run in, whether it’s 4, 6, or 8 miles.

The run starts on Thursdays at 6:30pm from their store at 3407 Rochester Road, just north of 13 Mile. There are other Hanson group runs in the Detroit-area as well.

I used to bike to the shop to start my runs. It’s a bit of a pain because I can’t always ride the 2.5 miles in my running gear, so I’d have to change. Still, the ride home offered a nice cool down. Now I’m running from my house to the 2 mile mark to join the group in route. That eliminates the need to drive and gives me an additional 2-2.5 mile run home.

Of course the run is free and the store provides water at the end. You can pay them back by buying all your running shoes at the shop. The Hansons do a whole lot more for running in Metro Detroit than these groups runs, including the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

It always feels good to give them the support in return.