I was just biking down Woodward minding my own business when a stray golf ball from the Palmer Park Golf Course brushed against my upper arm.
The ball clinked hard on the pavement and continued bouncing north across Woodward Avenue.
Not a good shot. Not a playable ball.
At least he did on Saturday.
I was riding downtown with Chuck Hatch and stopped at a light on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park.
Two fast-moving guys on mountain bikes blew past us.
I turned to Chuck and noted that one of them looked like Chelios. So to find out for sure, I sprinted after them.
Fortunately I was on my road bike and closed the gap, making sure I slowed a little bit before catching them so that I’d have some breath left in me.
Yes, it was Chris Chelios. He said he rides down Woodward to get downtown presumably to work. I introduced myself and my job of building trails in Detroit.
I’d asked him if he’d heard about the recent Dequindre Cut opening.
Nope.
That’s not suprising. There were some other big events that Thursday as well.
[I saw Chris riding north on Woodward in Royal Oak today while I was driving, so I took the photo you see above.]
On Saturday, May 9th, I’m leading a casual, 8-10 mile bike tour around downtown Detroit. It starts and ends at the Park Bar (2040 Park Ave).
This fundraiser ride is hosted by the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Tour de Cure cycling event. There’s a $10 donation to join in. Proceeds will benefit the ADA.
There will be giveaways too.
Need a bike? The Wheelhouse Detroit is offering a discount on bike rentals.
For additional details, send an email to Anika Halladay or call her at 248-433-3830, ext. 6694.
Saturday and Sunday was the celebration weekend for Cinco de Mayo in Southwest Detroit. If you’ve not visited during this celebration, you’re truly missing out on a great time.
My Sunday began with a group ride starting at the Wheelhouse Detroit under some stunningly beautiful blue skies. Venerable Detroit ride leader Tom Page led the group down the RiverWalk and into Corktown.
Our first stop was at the newest French restaurant, Le Petit Zinc. As Tom noted in a email, it’s a bit ironic that we stopped there given that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s defeat of France.
We wound our way through to Mexicantown, ending up at Clark Park, home to the big festival.
My better half met me for starter food at Taqueria Lupitas, our favorite restaurant in Mexicantown. We then walked through Hubbard Farms, admired the very cool old homes, and over to Clark Park — where we ate more food, listened to the Detroit Youth Symphony, debated seeing the Revolucha wrestling, and otherwise just milled about.
What a great benefit it is living so close (and being able to bike) to such a vibrant Mexican-American community – and no swine flu!
Yesterday was the second annual Freak Bike Militia ride and gathering on Belle Isle.
Actually, the official event title was “Ring Your Belle, Rock the Isle Spring Ride.”
I’ve posted photos from the ride.
The bike shown on the right was one of my favorites. The rear tire is from a dragster and it’s on a custom-made steel wheel. It’s a singlespeed. There’s a drum brake on the front wheel. For emergency stopping, one can step on a pedal which presses a pad against the rear wheel.
All the bikes were getting kudos and double-takes from everyone on the Isle.
Now if only I could turn my Kona BikeHotRod into a Rat Rod…
The Freak Bike Militia Greak Lakes Chapter plans on holding this event each year in Detroit. It’s held the day before the huge and much renowned Ann Arbor/Saline Bike Show and Swap Meet: The “Biggest, Oldest, and the Best Antique and Classic Bicycle Show in the Nation!”