Bicyclists To Take Over Detroit Streets In 16th Annual Tour De Troit

DETROIT, MI — Once a pro cyclist, Frankie Andreu rode across the Alps and into Paris on the famous Champs-Elysees to finish the Tour de France back in the 1990s. On Saturday, the Dearborn native will be back in Detroit’s Roosevelt Park, serving as grand marshal of the Tour de Troit, a ride for recreational cyclists that winds through Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Andreu, who retired from professional cycling in 2000, remains a popular in professional cycling as a coach, commentator and advocate for the sport. He rode in the Tour de France nine times, as well as other races among cycling’s Grand Tours.

Andreu admits, the roads and streets around southeastern Michigan are not the same as Europe’s storied cycling routes, but the Motor City does offer urban riders an amazing opportunity to explore the city and get an up-close view of its neighbors that they might not notice from a car. And, he notes, the city has gotten much more bicyclist-friendly in the past few years.

“Cycling is growing everywhere,” Andreu said in an interview with Patch. “You’re definitely seeing more people riding in Detroit … Ten years ago, there wasn’t any bicycle lanes.” (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Detroit Patch, and click here to find your local Michigan Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Now, he and the organizers of the Tour de Troit will tell you there are bike lanes throughout the city and some of the suburbs. And, that’s a big part of what the Tour de Troit is about: Getting people out on their bikes in Detroit and advocating that more people use bikes as a way to get around the city.

The Tour de Troit “is a good way to bring awareness that people are exercising on the roads, and everybody needs to pay more attention,” Andreu said.

The Tour de Troit offers two routes. The primary ride, which departs Roosevelt Park at 9 a.m., is 25.6 miles long, and features a police escort. The second ride, which has staggered starts between 7 and 8:30 am., is 62 miles long. Both rides have food and water stops, and bike service and support along the route.

Riders on both routes will get a good variety of architecture, from family brownstones to mansions, throughout the city and great views of the city and across the Detroit River to Canada, said Tour de Troit director Vittoria Katanski. The short route also includes a loop on Belle Isle. Food and entertainment is provided at the end of the ride in Roosevelt Park.

“You get a little bit of everything” the city has to offer, Katanski said. “Detroit is so huge, that it’s always nice to see it closeup on a bicycle. In a car, you don’t normally pay attention to (the neighborhood scenery).”

Over the past 16 years, the Tour de Troit, which is sponsored this year by Flagstar Bank, has raised more than $280,000 for non-motorized infrastructure and a standardized wayfinding system in the city of Detroit. It is the largest cycling event in Michigan.

Organizers for the event said that more than 5,000 people registered for the event. Online registration is now closed, but riders can register Friday at the packet pickup site at 2727 2nd Ave., Suite 147, in Detroit, or Saturday morning at the event.

The ride will happen, rain or shine. And, given the forecast for Saturday, riders might want to bring sunscreen instead of a raincoat. However, all riders are required to wear helmet.

Parking and getting to the event

Tour de Troit participants are cautioned that access and parking is limited in Roosevelt Park on Saturday. Participants can use the MDOT Welcome Center on Bagley at 20th Street, which has a large lot. Other parking options include the University of Detroit Mercy Dental School, which has a gated, guarded lot on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., and the Motor City Casino and Hotel.

All images courtesy of the Tour de Troit