Mid-May Musings

It's mid-May, and we already have a couple of updates to our E-Blast so, rather than clog your mailbox, we'll make use of this bloggage thingie. This Friday, May 16, is Bike to Work Day! The routes and timings are mapped out HERE. There will be a leader and sweepers on each route provided by Wheelhouse along with other event supporters. After the ride, there will be swag galore in Grand Circus Park from 7 to 9 a.m.

The annual Ride of Silence is set for Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. We are meeting up at Shelter 2, and this year there is a new route. More info HERE.

We continue to add more tours to our summer schedule. Stay up-to-date on our Tours Page.

NEW BIKE IN STOCK! The Origin 8 Intersect is a sleek city steed of 7 speeds. Deep V rims, 700x28 tires. $429.

We got a nice write -up in BLAC Magazine recently. Here's a link to a PDF of the article: BLAC0514

That's all for now - hope to see you soon!

4 Upcoming Rides

Wheelhouse is involved with four (4!) upcoming Detroit bike rides. Here are the deets! Ride of Silence - May 18, 7 p.m.

The Ride of Silence is an annual, slow-paced ride that takes place at hundreds of locations across the country -- and world. It is designed to memorialize cyclists that have been killed or injured while riding. It is a slow-paced, quiet 10-mile ride. It starts at 7 p.m. at Scott Foundation on Belle Isle. Please arrive a bit early to get situated and sign a waiver. The RoS is free and no pre-registration is necessary.

Bike the Bridge 2011 - June 12, 6 a.m.

Bike the Bridge is your only opportunity to ride across the Ambassador Bridge! The ride is set for June 12, but you must register by May 27! Head to Eventbrite to do so!

Colin Hubbell Detroit Bike Ride - June 18, 9:30 a.m.

Join us for the 3rd Annual Hubbell ride, which benefits the Colin Hubbell Fund. There are two options, an eight-miler and a 25-miler; both rides start and finish at Traffic Jam's parking lot on Canfield in Midtown.  Register at Eventbrite.

Compuware Corporation's Motor City Bike Ride - July 16, 8:30 a.m.

In its second year, this fun-filled, one-day ride raises funds for DKWIO to provide healthy programming for Michigan youth via Danialle Karmanos' Work it Out Foundation.

Riders start from Campus Martius Park, with a “Ride Rally” from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. The team will then ride to Metro Beach, where lunch will be served between 11 a.m. and noon. After lunch, riders will return to Campus Martius Park for a celebration!

There are only spots for 150 riders, so don’t wait to register. Sign up Compuware Corporation's Motor City Bike Ride 2011.

Ride of Silence 05/19 + Bike to Work Day 05/21

This year's Detroit Ride of Silence will take off from Scott Fountain on Belle Isle at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 19. This slow paced, silent ride will commemorate cyclists that have been injured or killed while biking. Friday, May 21, is Bike to Work Day. Detroit Synergy's Detroit Bikes! is hosting the event, which has three options, all of which end Downtown at Campus Martius:

• Ride 1: Woodward Ave ride (Royal Oak/Ferndale/Midtown)
• Ride 2: Jefferson (Grosse Pointe/East Side/Rivertown)
• Ride 3: Michigan Ave ride (Dearborn/Mexicantown)

Find out more here.

Upcoming tours & rides

Hey all, We have a busy week ahead, so we wanted to make sure we got the word out about what is keeping us running around like crazy people!

This Saturday, we have the ever-popular Hamtramck tour. We'll be stopping at Hamtramck Disneyland, the Power House, Public Pool Gallery, Polish Art Center and, for a snack, Cafe 1923. The tour is led by Wheelhouse co-owner (and former Hamtramck resident & schoolteacher!) Kelli Kavanaugh and guided by Jason Friedmann, Hamtramck's community & economic development director. The ride takes off at 10 a.m. There are 5 spots remaining as of Tuesday, May 11, so reservations are highly recommended.

Next up, we have Farm to Fork, our urban agriculture tour, on Tuesday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m. This one is ked by Kido Pielack, the Greening of Detroit's urban agriculture education coordinator. This will be a great opportunity to engage with farms and gardens growing food, ride the streets the food travels, and experience the spaces where food reaches consumer's forks. As of Tuesday, May 11, there are 9 spaces remaining.

We also have a private tour of Detroit's breweries for a group of friends on Sunday, May 17 and a sold-out tour of Eastern Market on May 22. We will likely be adding more Eastern Market tours to our roster. You can view our entire schedule and register for any tour at wheelhousedetroitcom.tours.

Also next week, we have the annual Ride of Silence. This event is an international, silent, slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. We'll take off from Scott fountain on Belle Isle at 7 p.m., so get there a bit early to sign a waiver and such.